100 Days of Super Paper Mario
by Galadriadhar
Summary: A Fanfic100 story taking place in the Super Paper Mario universe. 100 days, 100 one-shots.
1. Beginnings

001: Beginnings

Dimentio snuck through the Hall of Prophecy, heading for the Restricted Section. He tried to be quiet, but his foot hit a creaky floorboard. He froze, and waited.

Nobody came to investigate; no one expected one of the Ancient Court to be looking for dark secrets. But that's exactly what Dimentio, second-in-command of the Court of the Tribe of Ancients, was doing. Just why such a high-ranking Ancient would be tempted by the Hall's Restricted Section was a good question. Dimentio wasn't sure himself, to be honest.

It had started with a feeling, really. He felt that he needed to find the dark secrets held by the Ancients of the Ancients, the ancestors of the Tribe of Ancients. It was said they had known terrible secrets; secrets that would, if known, drive any being insane. That all by itself was enough to drive away ninety-nine point nine percent of curious minds. The other point one percent was Dimentio. Because he was prompted to find the secrets, he believed that he could take the strain.

Dimentio started walking again. The Restricted Section loomed ahead, an imposing gateway in the wall. The entrance was covered with a multi-dimensional mesh that would keep out beings except those that could work with dimensions. This was the reason why Merloo was the keeper of the Restricted Section. All the Ancients thought he was the only one to have power over dimensions.

This wasn't exactly true. Merloo may have been a master of dimensions, but there was another dimension-monger in existence. Dimentio was this second dimension-monger. Ever since he had been a little boy, he had been able to manipulate dimensions. Dimentio was not yet a master, but he was getting there.

Dimentio neared the multi-dimensional mesh and stopped. He looked at the mesh for a while, and then snapped his fingers, a smirk lighting up his face. He raised a hand above his head, and a purple and yellow energy sphere appeared there. Dimentio flicked his hand, and the sphere flew towards the mesh. There was a tremendous burst of light. When the light died down, Dimentio saw that the mesh had been ripped apart as if by an enraged Sammer Guy.

He entered the Restricted Section, and was almost overcome by a wave of dark power. 'The secrets here are very dark, to give off this much power,' Dimentio thought.

Walking through the Section, Dimentio glanced at names of the books on the shelves. _Dark Secrets, Demons of the Underwhere, _and _Tartarus: A History _were three of the most interesting. But when he looked ahead, he forgot all about the other books for there, on what looked like an oversized coffee table, was the largest book he had seen yet. Dimentio neared the book, and immediately felt terrible. It felt as though a Zombie Shroom had dropped into the pit of his stomach.

'This is the darkest of them all,' Dimentio thought. He gazed at the book, repelled and yet strangely entranced by the book. The feeling in his stomach was still there. Dimentio hesitantly reached out a hand, and brushed off the dust that sat on the cover. The title of the book slowly became visible: _D-a-r-k-n-e-s-s_. The title of the book was _Darkness. _A menacing title, to be sure.

He gripped the cover of the book, and opened it. He began to read, and a power started tugging on his consciousness. Dimentio fought against it, and was barely able to resist the power. The power faded away, but came back even more powerful than before.

As the power washed over him, Dimentio felt himself falling farther and farther into a well of darkness. His last thought before he lost all consciousness was 'Is this what insanity feels like?' Then, all was black.

* * *

Dimentio woke. He put a hand to his head and rubbed his temples in an attempt to rid himself of the massive headache that ravaged him. When the headache finally receded, he stood up. He glanced over at the oversized coffee table, and jumped back in surprise. Where the book _Darkness_ had been, now sat a smaller book. Dimentio neared the table, and lifted the new book off the table. He riffled through it and saw that it was blank.

'Why is this new book here? Why would the old book be gone?' Dimentio paused. "Why is my thinking turned around?" he asked himself. "Is this... insanity? I thought it would be different. This feels nearly normal."

He was distracted by a strange thought: _Fill me. _He looked around wildly, wondering if someone was using telepathy. But no, no one was there. Then his eyes fell on the book he held in his hands. 'Could it be... the book?' Dimentio thought. 'Let me see... How should I answer? How about, "With what?"'

_Fill me with what was in the other book._

'Only the book would say that,' Dimentio thought. 'It's the book. I can't fill it. What would that information do to me?' But even though he had resolved in his mind to not fill it, his hand crept to the pocket on his right side. It was in this pocket that each Ancient kept a quill or two. The reason was, like many other reasons for things the Ancients did, was that it was tradition.

Dimentio lay the book down, trying to convince himself not to fill it with what was in _Darkness_. He raised the quill, and opened the book. He put quill to paper, and began to write....

_When all is said and done, the Monster King and the Pure Maiden must be joined in union to release the Chaos Heart...._

_There will be a time when the sky is filled with a dark, ominous circle. It will engulf the world of lines. It will inundate the world of green foliage and orange water. The land of bits will be taken. Outer space will be consumed. The prehistoric rock land will be overwhelmed. The Kingdom of the Sammers shall be obliterated. Though the man in red shall wield formidable powers, one shall stand against him. The man in green shall use the Chaos Heart's power to bring darkness to all_. _The dark one will control him, and will not be able to stop the man in red...._

_Four heroes shall appear, and move in opposition to the Chaos Heart's holder...._

_There will be a time that this book will be fought over. The Ninjis will lose their nation because of this book._ _The Boos will find their downfall through this book. And the Goomba country will fall to the invader Toads by this book's power....._

Dimentio laid down his quill and sighed in satisfaction. The book was partially filled, and there was much more that he wished to put in it. But it would have to wait. Now, Dimentio needed to leave the Hall of Prophecy with his book. He would keep it with him, and wait to be able to pass it on to an evil soul.

Dimentio had become what he didn't think he would. Transcribing in the book had siphoned the rest of his goodwill from him. All that was left were crazy thoughts, thoughts he had never had before. Thus was born Dimentio, Pleaser of Crowds.


	2. Middles

002: Middles

"Aah! Princess Peach!" Mario cried.

"Help me!" Peach yelped. "Help-" She was abruptly cut off as Wracktail threw back his head and swallowed. A bulge appeared on his neck and traveled down the length of his body until it stopped in what Mario guessed was the mechanical wyrm's stomach.

Bowser grimaced. Luigi gaped. Mario jumped into action. He raced towards Wracktail and, in a move reminiscent of his fight with Fracktail, leaped onto the wyrm's back. Mario gestured frantically to Bowser and Luigi. They snapped themselves back to reality and vaulted on as well.

Mario made a hopping motion with his hands, pointed to Luigi, and then pointed to Wracktail's antenna. Luigi, assuming Mario wanted him to jump on the antenna, nodded. He crept over to the antenna as quietly as he could, for fear of alerting Wracktail to their presence. Then, he scrunched down and leaped high into the air, coming back down on Wracktail's antenna and repeatedly bouncing up and down.

Wracktail could feel himself weakening with each jump Luigi made. He decided to put an end to it and knock them off his back. So he pulled up out of the ground and started doing a loop. He felt their tiny feet pattering up his back in their futile attempts to stay on. Finally, there were no more footsteps on his back. Wracktail rejoiced. But he rejoiced too soon, for not two seconds later two sets of feet landed on his back once again. They were light feet, so he knew that Bowser fool had fallen off. And then the pain started again.

Luigi kept hopping on Wracktail's antenna, and Wracktail kept flying lower and lower. Finally, Wracktail crashed into the ground and closed his eyes. His connections fizzled. Wracktail.... was gone.

Mario jumped off Wracktail's body and ran to the place where he had last seen the bulge that was Peach.

"Peach! Peach!" Mario cried. He dug through his pockets to find anything that would cut through the metallic skin of Wracktail. It turned out that he didn't need to; there was a grinding noise, and Princess Peach popped out of Wracktail's body holding a razor-sharp cog.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "His stomach is filled with gears and wires. It was very uncomfortable in there."

"Were-a you okay when-a the beast landed?" Mario asked.

"Yes," Peach replied. "For some reason, his stomach deployed an air bag when he crashed.

A/N: Not the best, I know. I was anxious to get this one out. Thanks to DukeBrymin for the idea for this prompt.


	3. Ends

003: Ends

Mario awoke to a loud "Yeah!" coming from Luigi's room. Feeling concern for his brother, Mario jumped out of bed and raced to Luigi's room. "What's-a wrong?" Mario asked, looking in on Luigi.

Luigi was sitting at his desk with a large pile of paper to the side. A pencil lay next to Luigi's right hand. His left hand was currently pumping the air.

"Nothing is wrong, bro," Luigi reassured Mario. "It's just that I finished my book."

"What-a book?"

"The book about our adventures with the Pure Hearts and the Chaos Heart."

"Ah, that-a book." Mario had temporarily forgotten about the book Luigi was writing.

Luigi had taken it upon himself to chronicle the tale of the four Heroes and the Void. He had been working on it for a couple months. Now it seemed that he had finished it.

"Will you read it to see if it's good?" Luigi asked his brother.

"Sure-a thing, bro," Mario replied.

Luigi gathered up the pile of paper, stapled it with his heavy-duty stapler, and handed it to Mario. "Here you go, then."

Mario took the pile of paper and headed back to his bedroom so he could read the manuscript.

* * *

Luigi manned the spatula at the stove top, ready to flip the omelette over when it was time. He had made Mario's favorite kind: mushroom. As he flipped the omelette over, he heard footsteps on the stairs. Mario came down into the kitchen wearing his regular get-up: red shirt, red hat and blue overalls. In his hand he carried Luigi's book.

Grabbing a plate from the cupboard, Luigi placed the omelette on the plate and set it in front of Mario, who was sitting in his usual spot.

"Thanks," Mario said, and, snatching up a fork and a knife from the middle of the table, started eating.

Luigi sat down across from Mario and poured himself some cereal. "Well, bro. How was it?"

Mario chewed for a while before answering. "It-a wasn't good."

Luigi felt himself sag. "Oh, it wasn't?"

Mario shook his head. "No, it-a wasn't." Mario let the silence hang for a moment before continuing. "It-a was brilliant!"

Luigi straightened up. "Really?"

Mario nodded. "Yes, it-a really was. I-a loved it. The ending was the best part."

"Thanks, bro!"

A/N: So the original story plan had Mario telling Luigi it was terrible and then saying it was good, but I guess Mario didn't want to lie to his brother. It's really annoying when characters decide to do something other than what you told them to do.


	4. Insides

004: Insides

"No, I don't wanna know what's inside your hat, Dimentio," Mimi said, her voice echoing through Castle Bleck.

"Are you sure you don't wish to know? It would brighten your day," Dimentio asked.

"No! I don't wanna know!"

"Fine. I shall keep this marvelous thing to myself, then, like a thief keeping his spoils of labor."

"Fine!"

"What's going on here, asked Count Bleck?" Count Bleck floated down to break up the squabble.

"Dimentio wants to show me something in his hat," Mimi said.

"No, I do not," Dimentio replied.

"Yes you do!" Mimi insisted

"Enough!" Count Bleck yelled. "Dimentio, do you have something in your hat or not?"

Dimentio put on a shocked look. "Why, Count! Do you doubt my authenticity?"

"No. I just wish to know if there is actually something in your hat," Count Bleck returned.

"Of course I have something in my hat," Dimentio answered.

"Can you show it to Count Bleck?"

"Of course, my Count." Dimentio raised his hat. Mimi squealed and looked away. Count Bleck raised his eyebrows at what was inside Dimentio's hat.

"Have you told Mimi she would like it?" Count Bleck asked.

"I did tell the little girl that," Dimentio said.

Count Bleck nodded, then pulled his hat down so he could think. He stayed like that for a few minutes. Then he looked up.

"Mimi," Count Bleck said cautiously. "Do you like eggs?"

Mimi glanced at the Count. "Yes..."

"Then you will like what Dimentio has inside his hat," Count Bleck said.

Mimi sighed. "Fine." She turned to Dimentio. "What's under your hat, Dimentio?"

Dimentio grinned. "I thought you would never ask." He lifted up his hat, and there was an.... egg. "For you," Dimentio explained.

"Yeah!" Mimi cried. She grabbed the egg and cradled it in her arms. "Thanks, Dimentio!"

"Do not be thanking me," Dimentio said. "I was simply not feeling evil enough to crush it and see what the insides looked like."

"Thanks anyway!" Mimi ran off, no doubt to put the egg in her room.

Count Bleck glanced at Dimentio. "Did you have anything in your hat originally?"

Dimentio looked down. "No," he replied. "I teleported an egg there right after you asked."

Count Bleck nodded in understanding.

A/N: Now we get a look at life inside Castle Bleck besides minion meetings. I think this seems like the kind of thing that would happen between Mimi and Dimentio.


	5. Outsides

005: Outsides

Dimentio was peeling a Blue Apple that he had obtained from the Overthere Stair. He was very anxious to eat the Blue Apple and see what it did to him. Normally he wouldn't indulge in such whimsical activities, but the need to do something strange had overtaken him. That was why he was sitting on a chair in Castle Bleck, peeling a Blue Apple.

The jester scowled; he couldn't seem to get to the end of the Blue Apple's peel. He was sure that, after peeling for nearly ten minutes, he should have finished. But the Blue Apple kept on showing skin that needed to be peeled.

Dimentio peeled for another five minutes. But, to his chagrin, skin still showed on the Blue Apple. Finally, after another three minutes, he got fed up and threw the Blue Apple and the paring knife on the floor. Dimentio glared at the Blue Apple, and then turned his back on the fruit.

Mr L came by five minutes later. Dimentio still had his back to the Blue Apple.

"Hey, Dimentio, what's up?" Mr L asked.

"Nothing. Nothing except that I cannot peel this fruit from the Overthere Stair," Dimentio replied.

"Why not?"

"The peel is never-ending, just like the song of the same name." Dimentio scowled some more.

"Why don't I try?" Mr L offered. He then picked up the Blue Apple, grabbed the paring knife, and quickly finished up peeling the Blue Apple. Then he handed it to Dimentio, whose mouth had fallen open.

"How did you do that?" Dimentio eagerly asked, looking at Mr L. Mr L gave Dimentio a confused look.

"I just used the knife to finish up the peeling," Mr L answered, confusion clear in his voice. "Have fun with the Apple."

Dimentio didn't answer. He was too busy peeling the skin of the Blue Apple that had, through strange means, appeared again.

A/N: Woo-hoo! Prompt number five! Quite likely my favorite story other than the first prompt.


	6. Hours

006: Hours

"How long will the potion last, Kamek?" Bowser questioned.

"It will last for three hours, Your Ferociousness," Kamek replied.

"Perfect," Bowser laughed. He grabbed the flask and drained the green fluid. Nothing happened for a minute, then he bulked up noticeably. He laughed again. "Now, time to go wait in my throne room."

Bowser stomped to the throne room, and tried to sit down. But, with the bulk-up, he was too big. So, he paced instead.

1 Hour Later....

Bowser was still pacing. He was getting worried. "What if the Mario Brothers don't come within the time limit of the potion? No, don't be silly. Of course they will."

Another Hour Later.....

He was still pacing, and he was really worried. "I'm not sure if they're going to be here in time," Bowser said to himself.

Yet Another Hour Later....

Bowser had a sad look on his face as his muscle mass decreased. "They didn't come in time," he moaned.

Bowser's throne room door burst open. Mario and Luigi entered, looking proud of themselves.

"Couldn't you have come twenty minutes earlier?!" Bowser exclaimed.

Mario shook his head. Luigi shook his head as well, and both prepared to jump.

"Oh, dear," Bowser sighed.

A/N: This has to be the most annoying string of prompts ever. The next four are 'Days,' Weeks,' 'Months,' and 'Years.' How am I supposed to think of something new for each prompt? I actually am going to switch a few prompts around. That's a perk of doing this unofficially, hey? Anyway, I really dislike this one, mostly because it's a rushed affair and I had almost no other ideas.


	7. Years

007: Years

"Golly, Princess, it's been years since I last saw you!" Mimi squealed.

Princess Peach grimaced. "Yes, Mimi, it has been years. Can you not be so loud?"

"Oh, sure thing."

Peach gestured toward a chair, and Mimi sat down in it. "So, Mimi," Peach said, "How are you lately? As you so loudly put it, it's been years since we last talked."

"Well, let's see," Mimi mused. "I had five-no, six new boyfriends. Count Blumiere has stopped trying to destroy the worlds. Now he is working to restore peace. Can you believe it?"

"Not really," Peach replied.

"What's happened in your world?" Mimi asked.

"Hmmm. Well, Mario still is in the saving-the-world business. Oh, and he and I got married!"

"Congratulations!" Mimi squeaked. "I am so darn happy for you two!"

"Thanks!"

And so they continued to catch up. After all, it had been five years since they had last seen each other.

A/N: Next up come the ones I substituted for the other "Time" category prompts. Personally, I like the ones I came up with much better than the original ones.


	8. Sickness

008: Sickness

Count Bleck felt terrible. Well, more terrible than usual. He suspected that he had come down with the flux. When sleeping, he would snore loudly, causing his throat to ache abominably when he was awake. When he was awake, his nose would run constantly, ejecting enough fluid to float a boat.

The Count was trying to sleep. That was what the interdimensional doctor had told him to do, after all. But he couldn't get any sleep. Dimentio was arguing with O'Chunks, Mimi was trying to calm down a Chain Chomp she insisted was a pet, and Nastasia was nowhere to be found. Count Bleck turned over and hid his head under a pillow. That drowned out the sound. Bleck sighed in relief. It didn't last long.

The Chain Chomp burst into the Count's room and started jumping around and yipping. Dimentio and O'Chunks followed the Chomp into the room, still arguing, as Mimi raced after the Chomp. Count Bleck leaped out of his bed and yelled, "Silence!" All the minions became quiet. Surprisingly, the Chomp went quiet as well.

"Do you not know that Count Bleck is sick?" Count Bleck asked the silent assembly.

"You are?" Mimi questioned. "Gosh, sorry, Count. I didn't know. Charlotte, don't be so loud!"

"Sorry, dear Count," Dimentio apologized. "O'Chunks did not believe me when I told him you were sick."

"Eh, yew lying jester! Yew ne'er said that!" O'Chunks protested.

"Do not start this again," Dimentio sighed.

"Silence!" Count Bleck called again. "Count Bleck is sick, and desires some quiet. Please leave."

The minions left in single file, heads down. Mimi dragged Charlotte along with her.

Count Bleck got down off the table he had leaped onto. Then, he got back into bed. 'Ahh, peace and quiet,' he thought. Then, he coughed. At that same moment, there was a crash outside in the hallway. 'So much for being sick,' the Count thought. He coughed again.

A/N: The first of the new prompts that I came up with. Since I'm sick I decided to do "Sickness." Also, the name of the Chain Chomp is a reference to The Great Allie's "The Count's World Episode 3."


	9. Health

009: Health

Dimentio sat on the couch in the living room of Castle Bleck, watching the television. He was a happy guy, for he was watching his favorite show. But his mood abruptly changed when O'Chunks jogged into the room.

"HARBLE-DEH! Good day to yew, me jester friend. Do yew wish te come jogging with me? It's a briskish day today, perfect for pair jogging. What do ye say?"

"No thank you, my active friend. I am in the middle of my show. Kindly leave the vicinity so that I may concentrate."

"As ye say. Boyo, it's wonderful to feel so healthy, isn't it, meh jester?"

Dimentio groaned. This fellow wasn't going to leave him alone anytime soon. He decided to put a quick end to the matter. "It surely is, my ignorant accomplice. Ciao." Dimentio snapped his fingers and O'Chunks disappeared. "Ahh," Dimentio sighed.

Fate deals cruelly sometimes, especially with evil villains. So it was this time, for Dimentio had only teleported O'Chunks to the foyer of Castle Bleck, thinking it would be enough to deter him. Unfortunately, the brawny Scot was determined to jog with someone.

"I thought I kindly escorted you out of here," Dimentio said when O'Chunks reentered the living room.

"I know that ye did," O'Chunks replied.

"Then why, pray tell, are you still here?"

"Because ye need some exercise, meh smallish friend. It'll get that flab off yer middle."

Dimentio was, to say the least, mad. Not only had he been interrupted while watching television, he now was being called fat. Or, something close to fat. Dimentio spoke, gradually raising his voice. "I don't care that you're healthy and ready to go, but I DON'T WISH TO JOG!" He then snapped his fingers and transported O'Chunks to the outside of Castle Bleck.

O'Chunks reentered the living room. "Come on, get up, ye wee man, let's do some healthy jogging."

Dimentio groaned and fell back into the couch.

A/N: A random idea I had back before number eight. I like the way it turned out. I like writing for O'Chunks, but it's hard getting his accent correct. Next up is "Toads." Wonder what'll happen for that one. The idea of 'Health' is a little obscure in this one I'd say, but I think this gets the point across.


	10. Toads

010: Toads

Mario sat on his living room couch, staring at the crossword puzzle on his coffee table. He was trying to figure out thirty-two down. The clue was 'Inhabitant of Mushroom Kingdom.' There were five letters, and this was what he had so far: T-_-A-D-S. Frankly, he was stumped. Try as he might, he couldn't muster the brainpower to supply the second letter.

He decided to go check the Encyclopedia Mushroomica. So he got up and crossed the room. Mario picked up the I-K volume of the Encyclopedia Mushroomica, and flipped through the thick pages to 'Inhabitants of Mushroom Kingdom.' He ran his finger down the list of names under the entry: Goombas, Humans, Koopas, Toads. That was what he was looking for: Toads! Mario ran back to the crossword puzzle and filled in the O.

Sheesh. All that work for 'Toads.'

A/N: Sweet! Shortest chapter yet. One of my favorites, though. Seriously, who would've thought that Mario would forget the title of the people he saves on a daily basis.


	11. Red

011: Red

Count Bleck and Nastasia entered a wooden building, hoping they could find some food somewhere, for they were very hungry. They were in a rundown desert dimension, simply known as Nueo Meio.

Nueo Meioans were little folk, about the size of a normal Sammer Guy, with large heads. And after Count Bleck and Nastasia entered the building, they started driving the Count crazy.

He was standing inside the wooden building, Nastasia by his side, and Meioan children were running rampant around the tables and chairs that occupied much of the space inside the building. The smell of spicy food filled the air. The intoxicating aromas were enough that the Count started losing his temper much quicker than he would have had the smell not been there and he had not been hungry.

Count Bleck raised his staff, intending to use his magic to silence the children and clear a path to the counter where the food smells were strongest. Nastasia noticed this and pushed the Count's staff down. "Not now, 'K." The Count looked at Nastasia apologetically and squeezed his way through to the counter. He arrived at the counter and looked up at the menu that was on the wall.

"Whadda ya want?" the lanky man at the counter asked Count Bleck.

"Count Bleck would like the 'Cheeseburger,' please," Count Bleck said.

"I'd like the blue salad, 'K?" Nastasia replied.

"Red or green, mister?" the man questioned.

"Red or green what?" Count Bleck inquired.

"Chili," the man said.

"Red, Count Bleck requests."

"Comin' right up," said the man. He turned around and yelled out some orders to the people in the back.

Five minutes later, the man slid two platters of food onto a tray and handed it to Count Bleck. "Here ya go."

"Thank you, Count Bleck graciously replied."

The Count and Nastasia retreated to a table in the corner where they could eat in peace. The Count handed Nastasia her blue salad and took the wrapped parcel for himself. He unwrapped it and bit into the meat and bread.

Instantly his mouth was on fire. He looked around for water and caught sight of a glass of the liquid standing on the table next to them, seemingly abandoned. Count Bleck grabbed it and chugged the water. He sighed in relief.

"Count Bleck, are you okay?" Nastasia asked.

"Count Bleck is okay. That concoction of meat and bread was very spicy."

Nastasia's eyes widened. "Do you mind if I try it?"

"Count Bleck bids you good luck."

Nastasia bit into the burger, and her eyes widened again. "This is delicious!" she cried with her mouth full.

"Count Bleck is glad that you found joy in what he deemed horrid."

"You can have my salad."

"Thank you," Count Bleck replied. He sat down. The two ate their meal in silence.

A/N: Who knew that Nastasia liked spicy food. I sure didn't before I wrote this. This is another one of my favorites, I must say.

A/N: Please look at the end of my profile for an important announcement about my writing status.


	12. Orange

012: Orange

Mr L had an orange. He was very happy to have an orange. He was pretending that it was his pet. Much to the chagrin of the other minions of Count Bleck, Mr L also talked to the orange.

"Hello, Mr O. How are you today?" Mr L would say to the orange. He would then put his ear to the orange as if listening to the orange reply. "Really? How interesting," Mr L would then say.

Mr L followed this pattern every day, without fail, for seven days. Then, on the eighth day, Mr L found mold on his orange. The day went a little like this.

"Hello, Mr O. How are you to-" Mr L stopped in mid-sentence and examined his orange. "Mr O? YOU'RE MOLDING!"

Mr L ran to Count Bleck's room, and barged through the door. "Count! You gotta help me! Mr O is molding!"

"Count Bleck wishes that his minions would learn that doors are meant to be knocked on. Oh, well. What is the problem?" Count Bleck asked.

"My pet orange is molding! You have to use your magic to stop it!"

Count Bleck sighed in exasperation. "Count Bleck has told his minions again and again that his magic is not suitable for inanimate objects."

"Mr O is not an inanimate object, Count! You've gotta help him!"

Count Bleck sighed again. "Very well, I will try. Hand Count Bleck the orange."

Mr L gave Count Bleck the orange and backed away to give Bleck some room. Count Bleck began waving his staff over the orange, chanting nonsensical words to give the appearance of actually doing something magical. In reality, Count Bleck was pretending to do magic. He liked the orange about as much as the unaverage jester liked it, and since the only unaverage jester around was Dimentio, and he disliked the orange with a passion, Count Bleck disliked the orange as well.

After a minute of chanting, Count Bleck put down his staff and looked at Mr L.

"Count Bleck is sorry, but he can do nothing for the orange. He suggests going to see if Dimentio can do anything."

"Hey! That's a good idea, Count! Thanks!" Mr L ran out of Count Bleck's room and raced down the hall to Dimentio's room.

Mr L burst into Dimentio's room and cried out, "Dimentio, can you save Mr O?"

Dimentio shot up into the air, and hurriedly wiped sleep from his eyes. "What, pray tell, are you doing in my domain? And who is this Mr O you speak of?"

"I need you to help my orange, Mr O. He's molding!"

"Why do you need the help of the Master of Dimensions?"

"Nobody else can help me. I've already asked Count Bleck, and he tried. He didn't succeed, though."

"If my beloved Count cannot perform this action, I highly doubt that I can do anything. But I will try.... with magic! Hand me the fruit."

Mr L handed Dimentio the orange.

"Be warned, however, that the orange may burn from this spell. If it does, I claim no responsibility."

Dimentio waved his hand over the orange and muttered a few unintelligible words. Nothing happened.

"I am truly sorry. Perhaps if Count Bleck and I pool our powers-" The orange burst into flame and burned until nothing was left but black, citrus ash.

Mr L looked dejected. "Thanks, Dimentio. You tried." Mr L left Dimentio's room, on the verge of tears.

When Mr L was gone, Dimentio smiled and jumped higher into the air. "Yes! The annoying orange is nothing more than ash. The Master of Dimensions has saved Castle Bleck from the tyranny of the orange!"

* * *

When Mr L came down the next morning, he was grinning. Dimentio was puzzled, to say the least.

"Why does a smile grace your features, Mr L? I thought that your orange friend was burned," Dimentio asked.

"I found another orange in the fridge! Oh yeah!"

Dimentio teleported to his room to hit his head against the wall.

A/N: Finally, I got an idea for 'Orange.' I tell you, it was harder to think of one than you would believe. Anyway, on to other things. Some of you may have noticed that this is my first update in April this year. The reason is this: I am participating in Script Frenzy, a challenge not unlike NaNoWriMo. The goal is to write 100 pages of script (screenplays, stage plays, etc.) in 30 days. As such, it is hard to write fanfiction as well, and it is sheer luck that I posted this update. Don't expect another update until after April is over (unless, of course, another idea hits me like a Bullet Bill.)


	13. Yellow

013: Yellow

"We all live in a yellow submarine!" Mimi yelled at the top of her lungs.

Dimentio came out of his room, looking annoyed. "What is all this talk of living in yellow submersibles, Mimi?"

Mimi didn't know if this was a rhetorical question or not; she didn't even know what rhetorical questions were called. She assumed that he wanted an answer, which he did, and said, "It's the newest craze, silly! I just discovered the song 'Yellow Submarine.'"

"And does the discovering of something new mean that it is the 'newest craze?'" Dimentio asked, a hint of irony in his voice.

"Of course not, silly! This song just came out recently! It's by some group called The Toadtles."

"I hate to burst your metaphorical bubble, but The Toadtles released 'Yellow Submarine' forty-five years ago."

"Oh," Mimi said, looking sad. Then she brightened up. "Maybe if I listen to it, it'll be a new craze!"

"Whatever floats your also metaphorical boat," Dimentio shrugged. He went back into his bedroom. From outside he could hear Mimi shouting, "We all live in a yellow submarine!" He shivered involuntarily, then cast a sound-deafening spell on his room so he wouldn't hear Mimi.

_We all live in a yellow submarine, _Dimentio thought. He groaned, for the song had gotten stuck in his head, and slammed his head into his pillow. Then he lifted his head and wondered, _What if we do live in a yellow submarine?_

A/N: I know I said that I wouldn't update very soon, but things happened and here I am! Anyway, today Dimentio at first has something bad happen to him, then it turns into cause for contemplation. A reviewer noticed that Dimentio can't seem to catch a break in this story, and I said that hopefully something good will happen to him later. I don't mean this one, I mean a later one. Who knows, maybe Dimentio will get something. I sure don't know yet. This is one of my absolute favorites, which include Beginnings, Health, Insides, and Outsides.


	14. Green

014: Green

"Hey, bro, have you seen my green shirt?" Luigi called from inside his closet.

"Which-a one?" Mario asked, coming into Luigi's room upon hearing him call.

"The one I always wear," was Luigi's reply.

"I don't-a know. Which-a one do you-a always wear?"

"The one with the tags."

"They all-a have tags."

"The one with the green tags."

"They all-a have green tags."

"Hmm. It looks like this one," Luigi said, coming out of the closet and showing Mario the shirt he was wearing.

"Don't-a they all-a look like that one?" Mario questioned.

"Oh, yeah. Hmm. Well, the one I always wear has a one-up mushroom on the tags."

"Isn't it-a this one you're wearing-a?" Mario inquired.

"Oh, yeah. Hehehe. Thanks, bro. By the way, it's your turn to make breakfast today."

Mario nodded and left Luigi's room, shaking his head at how absentminded Luigi could be.

A/N: This time it isn't Dimentio getting the short end of the stick, it's Luigi. Poor Luigi. Where would he be without Mario? I don't like this one as much as the last one, but I like it more than Hours.


	15. Blue

015: Blue

Merlon was blue. I don't mean blue-skinned; I don't know what color his skin is. And I don't mean blue-clothed, though he was that. No, I mean he was blue inside. In short, Merlon was sad.

He didn't know why he was sad. He hadn't lost the Light Prognosticus. He hadn't soiled his royal blue robes. His mustache was perfectly sound. There was nothing he could think of that would be the cause of his current depression.

Merlon was sitting in his armchair in his house in Flipside, feeling depressed, when a knock sounded. Curious, but still sad, he got up and walked to the door. He opened it, and there hovered Tippi, the information Pixl. Merlon was, to say the least, confused.

"Hello, Tippi. What are you doing here?" Merlon asked.

"I came to visit you. Is that so bad?" Tippi replied.

"No, no. Where is Mario?"

"He's, um, sleeping. Heroes need sleep, don't they?"

"Yes....." Merlon opened the door wider and Tippi fluttered in. She alighted on the Light Prognosticus's table.

"Enough about me, though. What's going on with you?" Tippi questioned.

"I... well, to tell you the truth, I'm a bit depressed."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. The Light Prognosticus isn't lost, my robes aren't soiled, and my mustache is perfectly sound. There is nothing that I can think of that would be a reason for my being depressed."

"Well," Tippi said, "I'm no therapist, but I might be able to help you figure out why you're sad."

"Thank you, dear Tippi."

"So, how long have you been depressed?"

"Hmmm. That is a tough question. I believe I started feeling like this last Thursday."

"That long ago? Wow. Alright, hmmm. What were you doing last Thursday?

"Let's see..... I was studying the Light Prognosticus when I started feeling depressed."

"I see. What else can I ask you? What were you thinking about at the time?"

"I was.... thinking about Saffron! That's it! I'm sad because I never showed Saffron that I truly love her!"

"Well, now we're getting somewhere. Why do you think that?"

"I didn't finish the meal she wanted me to finish to prove that I loved her. I was about to eat the last bit of parsley when you appeared in Flipside, Tippi."

Tippi's voice was filled with sorrow when she replied. "I'm sorry, Merlon. I didn't mean to stop you from showing your love to Saffron."

"It's okay." Merlon brightened considerably. "I think I will go tell her I love her still. Maybe I'll be able to finish the meal this time. Thank you, Tippi!"

Merlon walked out of the house, and Tippi followed him out the door. She watched Merlon head to the elevator that would take him to Saffron's floor.

"Good thing I didn't tell him where Mario was," Tippi murmured. "He would have gotten really upset. He doesn't need to know that Mario's at the arcade."

A/N: And so ends number fifteen. This marks Merlon's and Tippi's first appearances in this fic. I thought this one was alright, but I didn't like it as much as some of the others.


	16. Purple

016: Purple

Dimentio was hovering in the foyer of Castle Bleck, trying his best to look sinister. He was succeeding, for Mimi was reluctant to come close. Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Dimentio?" Mimi asked sweetly.

"Yes?" Dimentio asked in a falsely sweet voice.

"Why did you choose purple as a color for your clothes?"

Dimentio stared at Mimi. "What?" he finally asked.

"Why are your clothes partly purple?"

Dimentio realized what Mimi was talking about, and replied, "I am royalty. This is why my wardrobe has purple in it."

"You're royalty? Really?" Mimi was excited.

"No. I am lying. Purple is actually my favorite color. Please go away." Dimentio shooed Mimi away, and she went with little fuss, not having caught what Dimentio had just said. She was just excited to tell everyone Dimentio was royalty.

When Mimi was gone, Dimentio resumed his former position in the foyer, and put his second-most sinister smirk on. After all, sinisterness doesn't radiate itself.

A/N: I enjoyed writing this one. After all, we find out why Dimentio wears purple.


	17. Brown

017: Brown

"Hmmph," Count Bleck snorted. He glared at his cape; there, on the collar, was a dreadful brown stain. It was obvious to any observer that the stain was the object of Count Bleck's disapproval. "Hmmph."

Just then, Dimentio came along, hovering and looking his second-most sinister. He stopped short at the sight of Count Bleck glaring.

"And I am gone, like a piece of cake left before a large Shy Guy," Dimentio declared. He made to teleport but Count Bleck grabbed Dimentio's foot before he could.

"Dimentio, my minion. Count Bleck asks where you are going?" Count Bleck asked.

"Ah, my Count. I was leaving to check on my coin collection. You obviously don't wish to be disturbed," Dimentio improvised.

"Yes, but you are the minion I need now, Count Bleck said. By sheer happenstance do you think you could you remove this brown stain from my collar?"

Dimentio edged closer. Then he smiled. "Of course, my Count. I shall remove it... with magic!"

Dimentio focused and produced an orb of brown magic. He then let it fall on the cape. When the magic light cleared, Count Bleck gasped. In place of his white cape was a monstrosity colored the color of dirt. In short, brown.

"Dimentio, Count Bleck is very mad. If you value your life, you should run," Count Bleck breathed through gritted teeth.

"And with that, I am gone, like anything food-related set before two teenagers." Dimentio blinked, and was gone.

Count Bleck kept the glare up until Dimentio was gone. Then he broke down and laughed his laugh of terror.

"Bleh, bleh heh heh heh. Bleck! Thank you, Dimentio. Count Bleck thanks you for the wonderful addition to his wardrobe."

A/N: Kind of a lame ending, I know. I tried. Try to guess the game reference and the fanfic reference in this one. I bet the story reference is easy for anyone well versed in Mario fiction.


	18. Black

018: Black

"Ewwww!" Mimi's voice rang out through Castle Bleck, waking all the sleeping inhabitants up. Nastasia came down the stairs to see what the problem was as O'Chunks, Dimentio, Mr L, and Count Bleck went back to sleep.

"What is the problem, Mimi?" Nastasia asked.

"The bread is covered in icky green stuff," Mimi whined.

"Let me see," Nastasia commanded. Mimi handed Nastasia the bread. "Hmmm. This is black bread mold, Mimi. We'll need to throw this bread out."

"It's black bread mold? Ewwww! But it's not black. It's green."

Nastasia sighed. "I know, Mimi. Just trust me, 'k?"

"Okay," Mimi said cheerfully. "Can you get me more bread?"

A/N: Short and to the point. The point being that black bread mold isn't really black after all.


	19. White

019: White

Mario was walking through the Halloween Haunted House. This house is, well, a haunted house that the Boos have during the Halloween season. They charge money for people to come through the house. The Boos then try to scare them. Since Toads are easily frightened, they never go into the Haunted House. As such, the Boos rarely get any money during the Halloween season.

As I said, Mario was walking through the HHH, as it was known. He had finally given in to the Boos' pleading for him to go through the HHH. So far, he hadn't seen any ghosts, and he was thinking that this was a waste of money.

He turned a corner and gasped. Not in fright, but in shock. There, in front of him, was a blue Boo.

"What-a happened to-a you?" Mario asked, when he found his voice again.

"What? Oh, you mean my color, right?" Mario nodded. "King Boo put me in a painting. But I escaped, so he cursed me with a blue color instead of white."

"Ah," Mario said in understanding. "Aren't-a you supposed to-a scare me?"

"Oh, yeah. Boo!" When Mario didn't jump in fright, the blue Boo shrugged. "We're just happy that someone gave us money. You can go out now. Thanks for the green."

Mario was surprised, but not too surprised when the HHH melted away and reformed in front of him with him outside it. He was angry at the Boos, though, for taking his money and not even trying to scare him.

"Boo!"

Mario jumped in fright and spun around. There was no one there, but he heard laughter coming from an invisible source. He made a fist and vowed revenge on the Boos.

A/N: This is probably the most obscure prompt so far. The idea was that Boos are white, and the blue Boo was abnormal because he was, well, blue. Anyway, keep on reading!


	20. Colorless

020: Colorless

"Count Bleck is proud of your performance, Dimentio."

"Thank you, my Count."

"O'Chunks, you must do better. Count Bleck commands it."

"Eh, arright. Me chunks just need a good workout, tha's all."

"Count! Count!"

Count Bleck sighed. "Yes, Mimi?"

"Look, Count! I got a crystal!" Mimi exclaimed.

Count Bleck bent down and took a good look at Mimi's crystal.

"Ahh, what a beautiful quartz. Count Bleck appreciates good crystals."

"What's ka-wartz?" Mimi asked.

Dimentio replied, "It is a clear, colorless crystal, Mimi. They are quite common, like Goombas."

Mimi hugged the crystal close to her. "It's prettier than a stinky Goomba."

"Tha's true," O'Chunks said.

"I'm gonna keep it!" Mimi sang, and then ran off.

A/N: Obscureness abounds! Actually, it was easier for me to see "Colorless" in this than white in "White." Oh well.


	21. Friends

021: Friends

Mimi looked in Dimentio's room, trying to find the jester. She looked all around, and then set eyes upon the bed. There was a lump on the bed covered by the blanket. Mimi giggled.

"Dimentio sleeps funny," she giggled to herself. Mimi calmed down and stepped into Dimentio's room. She tiptoed across the floor and ended up next to Dimentio's bed. Reaching out her hand, she shook Dimentio awake. He opened his eyes and groggily looked at Mimi.

"What?" he asked, sleepiness evident in his voice.

"Dimentio, are we friends?" Mimi questioned.

"Friends? As in, we are on good terms with each other?"

"Yeah!"

Dimentio rubbed the back of his neck. "Er, well, I guess so."

"Yay! Thanks, friend!"

Mimi skipped off, humming a tuneless song. Dimentio stared after her, boggled at what had just happened.

"Friends?" Dimentio whispered.

A/N: It's not very often Dimentio is pressed for words. I'd like to imagine that something like this went down before the Chaos Heart incident, and the two grew farther and farther apart during the events of Super Paper Mario. Anyway, that's just my take.


	22. Enemies

022: Enemies

_Today, Dimentio said he would be friends with me. Yay! He's not that big of a meanie after all. Now I have to go back to Merlee's Mansion to watch over the slaves. The Count wants me to go back because Mario will have to go there to get a Pure Heart thingie. Why does the Count want me to go there when Mario has just started finding the Pure Heart thingies? Oh, well._

Mimi closed her diary and hid it under her bed. She stretched, and teleported to the Gloam Valley.

Mimi opened her eyes and was instantly greeted by a vision of eternal sunset. She admired the vine-covered land, and then saw her reflection in the water. She watched her reflection for a while, marveling at how pretty she was. Finally, when she had grown tired enough to want to head for the Mansion, she started off. She could have teleported there, but having her walk is essential to my plot.

Anyway, Mimi was walking along, trying not to get wet and occasionally shapeshifting into Peach to get across long gaps, when a rock hit her head. She fell to the ground, dazed.

"Haha, gotcher. Shouldn't have escaped Castle Bleck, Princess!" Mimi looked around and saw that a Goomba had thrown a rock at her, thinking she was Princess Peach. Mimi narrowed her eyes, flames jumping in her pupils.

"Ow! Meanie! I'm not even Peach!"

The Goomba dropped the rock he had just picked up. "Oh, you aren't? Are you Mimi?"

"Of course I am!"

"Ah. That would explain why you were going to Merlee's Mansion. Go on. I give you permission."

The fire in Mimi's eyes grew hotter. "I don't need permission from you, meanie. For being mean, you get to go in the water."

The Goomba backed away, shaking his body. "No, please don't! I can't swim!"

Mimi ran over to the Goomba and kicked him into the orange water. He thrashed about, and slowly sunk. Mimi watched him sink, and nodded. "That's that," she whistled. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered that she could teleport, she teleported to Merlee's Mansion.

As for the Goomba, he was thrust out of the water by a Blooper. A fellow Goomba performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and he lived to tell the tale of throwing a rock at the 'fiery-tempered female minion of Bleck.'

A/N: I am truly sorry for making you suffer through this prompt. The problem was that I really couldn't think of anything to do for it. Hopefully the next one will make up for this monstrosity.


	23. Lovers

023: Lovers

_Thunk._ Mario hit the slightly spongy ground hard. He cleared his head, and got up. Looking around, he shook his head in despair. But he knew it had to happen eventually. He was, once again, in the Underwhere. This time, though, he was really dead.

A Shayde came up to him. "Hey there, mustachioed man. Welcome to the Underwhere."

"Thank-a you, sir," Mario replied. "I've-a been here before-a."

"You're funny for someone who just died," the Shayde said. "Hey, do I know you? You seem familiar."

"I'm-a Mario. This-a is my second time in-a the Underwhere."

"I was right! You were the one trying to save the worlds from the Void, right?"

"Yes. How did-a you know about-a the Void? It-a never appeared down here."

"Queen Jaydes was in a right state about the paperwork the Void caused. Every Shayde down here knows about the Void."

"Speaking of-a Queen Jaydes, is she still-a in the palace over the Twygz-a?" Mario asked.

"Oh, yeah. She and her D-Men haven't gotten around to moving the palace. They're still up to their heads in paperwork. Good luck getting in to see her."

"Thanks-a."

"I'll be seeing you," the friendly Shayde replied.

"By-a the way, have-a you seen a pink princess-a?" Mario asked.

"No, I haven't. Was she a good soul?"

"Quite-a."

"Then she might be in the Overthere. Is that why you're looking for Jaydes? So you can get back to this 'princess?'"

Mario nodded. "Yes. She's-a my wife."

"Ah. Good luck, my man."

Mario walked past the Shayde, past the restorative fountain, and finally got to the River Twygz. A stooped being stood on the shore.

"Hellooooo, Mario," the being said.

"Hello, Charold," Mario greeted.

"Do you wishhhhh me to ferrrrrry you across the Twygz? It'll cost four coinssssss."

"Sure-a." Mario dug in his pocket for some change. He pulled out four coins and handed them to Charold. Charold dropped the coins into his pouch, and whispered, "Four hundred coinssssss until I'm freeeeee." To Mario, he said, "We cassssssst off."

Mario jumped on the boat that was behind Charold, and Charold jumped on after him. Charold picked up a pole and dug it into the river. The boat surged forward, and Charold repeated the action.

Mario was woken by Charold when they reached the other side of the Twygz. Mario stretched, and leaped out of the boat. Charold followed, and smiled at Mario. "Ssssssee you."

Mario waved to Charold and continued on his way to Jaydes's palace. He came to an imposing structure before long, and saw D-Men rushing around in it. He had made it to the palace.

Mario entered the palace and almost immediately ran into a D-Man. The D-Man muttered, "Excuse me," and continued his mad dashing. Mario was more careful then, and successfully made it to the back of the palace without running into any more D-Men. At the back he found Queen Jaydes talking on her cell phone.

"No, I don't care what the other Nimbis are doing. I do not want Luvbi going to see that movie. Oh, hold on, Grams, I've got a visitor." Jaydes turned to Mario. "Yes, what do you want... Mario! What are you doing here?"

"I finally kicked-a the bucket," Mario said.

"Ah," Jaydes breathed. "In that case, welcome to the Underwhere! By the way, why are you here at my palace?"

Mario looked down. "I, um, I want to-a go to the Overthere."

Jaydes watched Mario closely. "Why do you want to go to the Overthere?"

"I want to-a be with Princess Peach again. She left-a five years ago, and I've missed her-a ever since."

Jaydes sighed. "This will create even more paperwork. Do you really want to be with her?"

Mario nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes! I'll go through the Road to-a the Overthere if-a I have to-a."

Jaydes smiled; a rare sight for her. "Well, to Bonechill's prison with paperwork. I won't get in the way of a noble cause like yours. And, don't worry about going through the road. We reserve a special way for the noblest people. Say 'Overthere.'"

"Overthere," Mario said. Jaydes pointed a finger at Mario and he teleported out of sight.

Jaydes leaned against the conveniently-placed table, and her smile got even bigger.

Mario opened his eyes to puffy white clouds, sunshine, and Princess Peach. He did a double-take, and gasped.

"Princess!" he breathed.

Peach smiled at him and hugged him.

A/N: So this started out as the story for 'White.' It changed into 'Lovers' when Mario decided to be anxiously waiting to see Peach again. This also marks the first time Jaydes appears in this fic. Woo-hoo!


	24. Family

024: Family

"Check out my new hat, bro!" Luigi bounded into Mario's room, sporting an English driving hat. Mario looked askance at the hat.

"It's-a.... wonderful. It's-a wonderful," Mario replied. Luigi noticed Mario's hesitation.

"Come on, bro. Tell me what you think of it," Luigi pressured.

"Alright. I think it-a looks silly."

"Thanks, bro. Thanks for being a good brother. How about this hat?" Luigi then donned a tall beefeater's hat. Mario smiled unsurely.

"That's-a not much better."

"Oh. Hmm. Well, what about this one?" Luigi pulled out a banana leaf sombrero and put it on his head.

Mario sighed and dropped his head into his hands.

A/N: It's a habit of mine to explain the prompt, isn't it? Probably so I can put out garbage and call it a story. Just kidding about that. I don't think all of these are garbage, and this one isn't one of them. Basically, Mario is being a good family member by not sugarcoating the truth, and Luigi is the eccentric aunt, except he's Mario's brother. Anyway, whatever. Interesting to note is that I do have one of those English driver hats. I got it today, in fact.


	25. Strangers

025: Strangers

A dark, hooded being walked through the pouring rain up to an old, dilapidated house. The being knocked on the door once, twice, three times. There was a shuffling behind the door, and a ragged man opened it. He blinked through filmy eyes at the stranger.

"Who's it that comes to me door?" the man asked in a voice as ragged as his clothing.

"One who seeks refuge from this frightful storm," the hooded being tiredly replied.

"Do ye have payment?" the man questioned. The hooded one sighed, and dug around in a pocket in his cloak. He pulled out three tarnished bronze coins and showed them to the man.

"Is this enough to secure lodging?" The man examined the coins.

"Mushroomian by make. That'll fetch a pretty price at the market. Aye, that is enough. Come on in." The man held the door open and the hooded one ducked in under the man's arm.

The hooded one looked around the one-room house. In a corner was a pile of Muth furs and a crude pillow. A small fire burned in the middle of the house, shedding light on half-eaten meals. A slab of meat hung on a stick above the fire. Next to the pile of furs, a rainbow-colored butterfly sat upon a piece of wood. The butterfly turned to the hooded stranger, and surprise was evident in her voice.

"Who is this, Thyl?" the butterfly asked.

"This is- well, I don't rightly know. What do ye call yerself?" Thyl inquired of the hooded one.

"I am known as Miditone," the hooded one replied.

"Miditone, eh? Well, whatever yer called, ye paid, so I sure better share me abode with ye. Roasted Muth?" Thyl offered.

"No, thank you. I have eaten already," Miditone said.

"Suit yerself." Thyl sat down on a rickety chair and pulled the meat off of the fire. "So, ye must have come far. Ye seem tired. Where'r ye from?"

Miditone lowered himself onto the floor and sat cross-legged. "I come from the land of the Dansyllids."

"I've never heard of the Dansyllids," the butterfly said.

"Hush, Tippi. I'm sure the Dan-syl-lids are very secretive," Thyl chastised.

"So, the butterfly is named Tippi?" Miditone asked.

Tippi's antennae twitched; neither of the other two saw this. "Yes. She's called Tippi," Thyl responded. "She's me companion for a while."

"I see."

"Why don't you take off your cloak?" Tippi questioned, redirecting the topic of conversation. "I'm sure you'd like it to dry?"

"Thank you, but no."

"Ah, come on," Thyl said. "It can't hurt."

"Fine, I will take off my cloak." Miditone stood up and removed the cloak. When he took it off, purple and yellow finery was revealed. Thyl gaped.

"Are ye a prince?" Thyl asked.

"Close, but no. I am a jester. I am the royal jester of the Dansyllids," Miditone answered.

"What are you doing so far from your land?" Tippi inquired.

"I'd rather not say. Let it be said that the king was no longer pleased with my.... choices."

Tippi was about to say something else, but she was interrupted by Thyl yawning. "I'm going to bed. Ye may sleep on the furs if ye wish, Miditone. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Thank you kindly." Miditone left his cloak on the ground by the fire and walked over to the furs. He looked askance at them, and then shrugged and laid down on the furs. Thyl put some water on the fire, and promptly fell asleep. Tippi watched Miditone for a while, then fell asleep herself. Miditone lay awake even longer, murmuring to himself about the hospitality of strangers.

When Thyl and Tippi awoke, Miditone was sitting in the rickety chair, busily writing what appeared to be a letter. At the sound of them waking up, Miditone looked at them.

"Thank you for the sleeping place," Miditone said, resuming his writing. "I must leave soon. I need to make good time on my journey."

"Why not stay longer?" Tippi asked.

"Hush, Tippi. He is busy, he said so himself." Thyl turned to Miditone. "Good luck on yer journey, Miditone."

"Thank you, Thyl. And now I am gone, like Muth left out for vultures. Farewell." Miditone exited the house and closed the door. Thyl and Tippi watched him leave, then turned their attention to the letter Miditone had left on the table. Thyl picked it up and read it, Tippi looking over his shoulder.

_Thyl and Tippi,_

_I thank you for letting me, a stranger, into your house when I was tired and wet. You will notice that I have left my cloak behind. You need it more than I do, Thyl. Why I was prompted to stop at your house I will never know, and I will never know why I didn't decide to send you both to the Underwhere. Perhaps it is because you are the only ones who have shown me hospitality; I don't know. Perhaps it was a wild idea that I caught hold of. Perhaps, for now, I am tired of murder. Needless to say, I will not know why I was kind to you two. Be glad, though. If I hadn't felt compelled to be kind, you both would be in the Underwhere right now, on a whim. _

_Farewell, and may we never meet again,_

_Dimentio (Miditone)_

Thyl and Tippi stared at each other, shocked.

"We harbored a dangerous murderer. In our house. Last night," Tippi said.

"But think of it this way, Tippi. Even the most dangerous murderers are kind, sometimes. Especially when they meet kind strangers."

A/N: This one was fun to write. I especially enjoyed writing Dimentio's letter to Thyl and Tippi. Really, this idea came about when I thought, "Hey, what happened to make Tippi know who Dimentio was before SPM? Why don't I write about it?" And thus, this story was born.


	26. Teammates

026: Teammates

Boomer and Thoreau were having an argument. They had had many before then, but this was the fiercest one to date.

"You, angry and explosive one, are not the Hero's favorite Pixl," Thoreau said to Boomer.

"BOOM! What are you talking about, Handy?" Boomer replied. "The Hero uses me most of all the Pixls. BANG!"

Thoreau's eyes narrowed. "You call me 'Handy?' What if I called you 'Bomb-Boy?'"

Boomer scoffed. "'Bomb-Boy?' Ha! How about 'Bomb Maniac?' FWOOM!"

The circles around Thoreau's head shook. It took Boomer a little bit to realize that Thoreau was laughing. "'Bomb Maniac?' How long did it take you to come up with that?"

"Would you two please shut up?" Carrie asked.

Boomer was about to say something when Luigi's voice filtered through the bag the Pixls were kept in. Thoreau and Boomer turned to the sound. "We should get out Thoreau and Boomer. Thoreau can throw Boomer onto the switch and Boomer can explode and hit it."

Thoreau turned to Boomer. "It looks like we will have to work together, explosive one. But do not think that this conversation is over. We still haven't agreed on who the Hero uses most."

"So be it," Boomer said. "CRASH!"

A/N: This was the only good idea I had for this prompt without diving into Mario Strikers or something like that. At least I can put this one to rest. Anyway, it was interesting to look at the world from the perspective of the Pixls. I like the idea of a rivalry between Boomer and Thoreau, the two Pixls with Mario the longest except for Tippi. And yes, I know that no puzzle requires you to throw Boomer at a switch. Sue me for finding some way for them to work together. That's all I've got to say.


	27. Parents

027: Parents

Count Bleck set down his quill as the sound of arguing floated into his room. He put his forehead in his hand, and sighed. Then, he pushed his chair out from his desk.

Entering the hallway, Count Bleck followed the sound to the foyer of Castle Bleck, where he found Mr L and Nastasia battling with words.

"I'm going to need you to stay here, k?" Nastasia was saying.

"Come on, Nastasia! Let me go out and try to stop Mario. Brobot is ready, and so am I," Mr L insisted.

"No, sorry. Why don't you go oil Brobot or something, k?" Nastasia replied.

"Shush! Don't talk about Brobot as if he's an inanimate object! He has feelings too!"

By now, Count Bleck was sick and tired of arguments. Dimentio and O'Chunks argued quite a lot, and now Mr L was at it with Nastasia. He raised his staff just as Nastasia was about to respond and shouted, "Quiet!" Nastasia shut her mouth, and Mr L shrunk back a little bit. Count Bleck looked on in satisfaction.

"Well, you see, Count, Mr L wanted to go out on some frivolous errand and-" Nastasia began, when Mr L cut in.

"What? It was not frivolous, Nastasia! I simply wanted to go stop Mario-" Count Bleck stopped him by putting a finger to his lips. Mr L fell quiet.

"Count Bleck is sick and tired of this inefficient arguing. From now on, this organization will have no arguments, like a happy family. Anyone who is found arguing will write a thirteen page essay on how to get along with others. Count Bleck has spoken."

Together, Mr L and Nastasia said, "Yes, Count." Count Bleck nodded in appreciation, then retreated back to his room. He went to close the door, but was stopped by the sound of Dimentio and O'Chunks verbally assaulting each other. Count Bleck shook his head in despair.

"Sometimes, Count Bleck feels like a parent burdened with unruly children, Count Bleck said to himself."

A/N: I'm back! Sorry about the long wait. First I went on vacation, then I got sick, then I was preoccupied with another story I'm in the process of creating. So, yeah... Anyway, hopefully I'm back on schedule, and happy summer to all (unless, of course, you're somewhere where it's winter. Then happy winter!)


	28. Children

028: Children

Mario and Luigi walked into their small kitchen. Mario headed over to the stove while Luigi grabbed some plates from the cupboard. Cracking an egg into a pan with one hand, Mario deftly turned the stove on with his other free hand. Luigi placed the plates on the table, and went to get the silverware. He stopped, and shivered involuntarily. Mario noticed, and asked, "What's-a wrong, bro?"

"I don't know, Mario," Luigi replied. "I get the feeling we're being watched."

"Who-a could be watching us?"

"It feels like, I don't know, children or something."

"Children are-a watching us?"

"Yeah!" Luigi said, nodding vehemently. "Have you ever felt that, bro?"

Mario turned back to the egg, and flipped it over. He slowly replied, "Yes. Sometimes-a I do think-a we're being watched."

"Oh, good. I'm not alone. HEY, YOU KIDS! STOP WATCHING US!"

"What was-a that for?"

"I was telling the kids in front of the TV to stop watching us."

"Oh." Mario felt it unnecessary to pry any farther into his brother's strange antics.

* * *

Bill looked over at his friend. "Ted, that was a bogus episode."

"Tell me about it," Ted said.

"Dude!" they said together.

A/N: This ranks as one of my favorites, just for the breaking of the fourth wall and the reference to the only 80's movie I have ever seen. If you guess correctly, you get a high-five. Anyway, sorry for the wait on this one. I've been preoccupied with other projects, not the least of which is a book I want to write.

It took a little while for me to decide to add the extra part. I hope it adds what I wanted it to add.


	29. Birth

029: Birth

Mario paced in front of a green hospital door, anxiously waiting for some indication of what was going on inside. He paced a little while longer, then was interrupted by the door opening. A Toad covered in a doctor's gown smiled at Mario. "Come on in, Mario. The operation was a success. You have a little girl."

Mario whooped in delight and rushed past the Toad. The Toad closed the door behind Mario, letting him be alone with his wife and daughter.

Mario raced over to the bed where Peach laid with a little girl in her arms. His smile was nearly enough to split his face in half. Peach glowed with pleasure. The little girl squeaked in her sleep and snuggled closer to Peach.

"She's beautiful-a, just-a like you," Mario said, gazing down at his daughter.

"What should we name her?" Peach asked.

"Carrie?" Mario suggested.

"No, I don't think so. How about Dottie?" Peach returned.

"I don't-a really like that-a name. How about-a... Timpani?"

Peach thought about that for a moment. She smiled. "That sounds good. I like Timpani. She could be Tippi for short."

Mario nodded in agreement. The two new parents gazed down on the newly-christened Timpani, happy as could be. Little Timpani slept on, unaware of her name's proud history.

A/N: Only a little commentary here, I believe. It took a little while to decide what to do, and how to do it in a K rating. Yeah, so that's all.


	30. Death

030: Death

"No! Please don't-a die!" Mario cried, holding onto Peach's hand. She gazed at him through glazed eyes.

"Don't cry for me, Mario," Peach whispered, weak voice showing the struggle she was going through. "It's no use trying to stop it."

"I just can't-a bear to see you-a go," Mario sobbed. He dropped his head, shoulders wracked with sobs. Peach lifted a hand to Mario's cheek. She caressed it, and Mario raised his head, tears stopping for a moment.

"Promise me. Promise me that you will come quickly to the Overthere," Peach said.

"I will," Mario promised. "I will."

Peach gave a faint smile, and fell limp. Mario hunched over Peach's bed, wetting the sheets with his renewed tears.

A/N: Man, this story almost made me cry while I was writing it. I just hope no one gets turned away from the story because of this prompt. Just to let you know, there shouldn't be any more this sad.

This one comes after 'Birth,' chronologically, and 'Lovers' comes after this one.


	31. Sunrise

031: Sunrise

A cave sits on the edge of the dimension Nueo Meio. The cave emits blue steam twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week (or thirty hours a day, four days a week if you are a Nueo Meioan.) This cave is avoided by the general public, except for those who are brave. Or insane. Either one works.

Count Bleck was in Nueo Meio with Nastasia, watching the magnificent sunrise. Nueo Meio is known for its sunrises. It's also known for its sunsets, but that doesn't matter right now. Anyway, Count Bleck and Nastasia were enjoying the sunrise, when they saw blue smoke on the horizon. Without waiting to hear what Nastasia had to say about it, Count Bleck grabbed her and teleported to the site of the smoke.

They appeared in front of a cave. Nastasia brushed herself off; teleportation always left dust on her shirt. Count Bleck went up to the cave entrance and wafted some of the smoke toward himself so he could smell it. He jerked back.

"This smoke smells rancid. Count Bleck believes it to be potion smoke."

Nastasia came up to Count Bleck. "What are you thinking of doing, Count?"

"I believe we must investigate this cave."

"K." They crept cautiously into the cave, trying hard not to make a sound. Before too long, they came to a well-lit room. In the middle of the room was a large pot that had blue smoke billowing off it. This was where the blue smoke from the cave entrance came from. Behind the pot was a wrinkled Nueo Meioan woman. She was stirring the contents of the pot with an oversized spoon and muttering nonsensical words.

"Excuse me, said Count Bleck." The woman jumped.

"Ah! Oh, hello! I didn't see you there. What brings you to me cave? Old Hagatha rarely has visitors," the old lady said.

"What are you doing?" Count Bleck asked.

"What am I doing? I, good sir, am coloring the sky."

"What?"

"I'm brewing a potion that gives off smoke that causes the sky to turn magnificent colors. That's its only use, see. The government pays me sixty-seven iglises for each sunrise and sunset."

"Oh. Well, good luck, says Count Bleck." Count Bleck and Nastasia backed slowly out of the cave.

"Now, if only Dimension Bleck had a sky-painting potion hag," Dimentio said, appearing next to Count Bleck's head.

"Ack! Where did you come from?" Count Bleck looked shocked.

"Oh, just from over the sunrise."

A/N: Sorry about how long it took to write this one, guys and girls. I had some annoying writer's block. But, that's better than what I have for another of my stories. Anyway, that's all from me for right now.


	32. Sunset

032: Sunset

Dimentio sat on the edge of a butte, watching the sun set. Luxuriant purples, vibrant reds, and shimmering golds splayed across the sky, making a painting abstract artists would be jealous of. As it was, the sky provided the perfect canvas for Dimentio to throw his thoughts against. Hmm. Was that clear? No, not really. Alright, here we go again. The image the sky provided was the perfect starting place for Dimentio to start reflecting. He could throw his thoughts onto the picture, one by one, examine them, and at the end look at the big idea, or picture, whatever you want to call it. There. Good job, Gala. Anyway, back to the story.

Dimentio started with the first thing on his mind. That thing was his upcoming betrayal of Count Bleck. He reeled back in his mind and threw the paint of the idea on his canvas. He idly noticed that the idea was colored a vivid yellow.

Why was he betraying Count Bleck, again? Oh yes. That was why. He remembered a conversation he had listened in on between Count Bleck and Nastasia. Count Bleck had told Nastasia that he only wished to destroy the worlds, not rebuild them as previously planned. Nastasia had taken it in stride, but Dimentio was shocked. How could the Count have lied to them? It was then that he had decided to take control and manipulate the Count and his minions into doing what he needed. And he had decided that what he needed were worlds to rule.

'Perhaps,' Dimentio thought, 'the Count will allow me to build worlds after he is dead. No,' he thought. 'The Count only cares about stopping his grief. He would never allow me to do that. So, I suppose the only thing to do is betray him.' Having settled that in his mind (Dimentio never really felt good about it after that,) he turned to the second and last thing on his mind. That just so happened to be about Mereliah, the girl he loved.

Dimentio turned his thoughts deeper inward, back to many, many years previously. Back to when he was an Ancient of the Court of the Tribe of Ancients, and he was betrothed to a beautiful Ancient girl named Mereliah. She was a Pixl-maker, and she was very good at it too. Dimentio was head-over-heels in love with her. Then, he was changed by the book Darkness. After what he had done became public knowledge, Mereliah refused to marry Dimentio. He was exiled, and he never saw Mereliah again.

Throughout his life, he remembered Mereliah in all that he did. In his own twisted way, he honored her through his deeds.

Dimentio often wondered if Mereliah was still alive. After all, if he was, couldn't she be alive as well? He had searched the dimensions for her, all the time finding nothing, yet still he held out hope. Then, after the Shaded Realms, he had given up. She was dead. There was nothing else for it. He wished he could turn back time. Alas, he could not.

They say a beginning of insanity is the spurning of love. Perhaps if he hadn't been spurned, Dimentio wouldn't have become who he was. Nevertheless, we shall never know. All I know, and all I have been privileged to write, is who he was. All I can say is that this sunset, and this rationalization of both issues, was the beginning of Dimentio's final downfall.

A/N: Whew. Finally it's done. It took a while to write this, as I had to keep stopping and pondering the meaning of what I was writing. If you don't like it, that's fine with me. If you do, then great! Ah, well. Next up is 'Too Much.'


	33. Too Much

033: Too Much

Count Bleck daintily wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. Then he pushed his chair away from the table and rose.

"That, Dimentio, was a delightful meal. It was so that I ate too much. Thank you very much."

Dimentio bowed low to the ground from his place beside O'Chunks. "I am glad that my culinary concoctions were pleasing."

"Count Bleck is going to lie down, to allow his stomach to settle," Count Bleck declared, then teleported to his room.

Mimi was next to leave the table. "Golly, Dimentio, that was great! You should cook for us some other time. It was soooo good, I ate too much!" She left the room and went into the living room.

Nastasia stood up as well. "Mimi is right, Dimentio. I'll pencil you in for Tuesday, k? Great. Oh, by the way, I thought it was very good. I ate too much as well."

Dimentio bowed again. "As you wish." Nastasia left the dining room and went into her office.

O'Chunks was the only one left at the table. He was still shoveling food into his mouth. He stopped for a moment to say, "Aye, better vittles ah've never 'ad. But ye'll never fill up a warrior's belly." Having said this, O'Chunks grabbed the remaining food off of Mimi, Nastasia, and Count Bleck's plates and proceeded to eat that as well. Dimentio grimaced, and left the dining room so he wouldn't get sick from watching O'Chunks eat.

A/N: In the words of Dimentio, "And it all is gone, like hot dogs put before Takeru Kobayashi." I'd like to give a shout-out to all those who have reviewed. Thanks a lot; it does my heart immeasurable good to get feedback. Anyway, on I go to the next prompt, which is 'Not Enough.'


	34. Not Enough

034: Not Enough

The sun dawned upon the watery dimension of Bylta Vatn, casting its rays across the vast expanses of water. If one were to look from the sun's point of view, they would see most of the normal sights of Bylta Vatn: ships crossing the seas, fishermen trawling the waters, and fishmongers selling various breeds and varieties of fishes. But there was one thing different. A rag-tag group of beings were standing at a seller's stall. To the inhabitants of Bylta Vatn, they were annoying. To us, they were known as O'Chunks, Dimentio, and Mimi. Dimentio was arguing with the fishmonger. O'Chunks and Mimi were watching the heated exchange with fascination.

"No, good sir, I wish to buy fifteen pounds of dragonfish. I will give you all that I have," Dimentio was saying.

"And I'm telling you, crazy jester, that I don't have any dragonfish, no matter how much you pay me," the fishmonger, who we'll call Jeffre, said.

"I will ignore that comment if you bring out the dragonfish. You do have dragonfish. Don't deny it."

"I'm telling you, I don't! How many times do I have to say it?" Jeffre asked.

Dimentio shook his head slowly. "I'm quite sorry to hear that, sir. I suppose I will have to use force, like a dark lord who has grown tired of the victim dodging questions." Jeffre watched, shaking, as Dimentio held up his hands and a glowing ball of energy appeared. Just as Dimentio was about to throw the ball of energy, Jeffre held up a hand.

"I just remembered, I might have some dragonfish in the back. Let me go see." Jeffre scurried back behind a curtain, and Dimentio let his hands drop and the energy dissipate. O'Chunks and Mimi were laughing.

"Golly, Dimentio, you sure got him good!"

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Mimi," Dimentio said dryly. At that moment, Jeffre came back out, pulling a big cart with a tank of water on it. Inside were several small fish, glowing with a barely perceivable light.

"Here you go, sir. Fifteen pounds of dragonfish. I sure hope your strongman there can carry this here tank," Jeffre said, beckoning to O'Chunks. O'Chunks came over and heaved the tank up.

"This ain't 'eavy! This is jus' a walk in the park for meh," O'Chunks exclaimed.

"I am glad that you found some fish for us, good sir," Dimentio said, reverting to his gentlemanly self. "We shall be going, now."

Mimi touched O'Chunks's arm and teleported to Castle Bleck. Dimentio was right behind them. Jeffre waved goodbye because he was a good person.

Mimi, O'Chunks, and Dimentio appeared in the foyer of Castle Bleck. Count Bleck was waiting for them. He clapped one time when he saw them.

"Congratulations, I say. Count Bleck is proud of you for not messing up the mission. How many pounds did you get?"

Dimentio felt a sinking feeling. He seemed to recall Count Bleck saying they needed seventeen pounds, not fifteen. "We retrieved fifteen pounds, my dear Count."

Count Bleck frowned. "Fifteen pounds? I distinctly remember saying we needed seventeen pounds to make the aquarium."

Mimi punched Dimentio on the arm. "I told you that we were supposed to get seventeen. You didn't listen to me, meanie."

"Ah remember now. Dimentio, ye fool, why dinnit ye listen to the wee lass?" O'Chunks asked.

"Sure, blame the jester. I will remember this," Dimentio promised.

Count Bleck made as if to stop the fighting, but reconsidered, then teleported away to let the minions work it out on their own.

A/N: I'm back! Yes! Anyway, on to the pertinent news. Numero uno: Dragonfish is an actual fish. Numero dos: I figured out who should voice Dimentio if they ever make a film. Ally Sheedy would be perfect. In an episode of the TV show 'Psych,' (An Evening with Mr. Yang,) she plays the sociopathic serial killer Mr. Yang. She's very convincing, so convincing that it's the only psychological thriller I ever need. That's all for now. L-ater.


	35. Sixth Sense

035: Sixth Sense

Merlon looked up from _Wild Animals of the Bylta Vatn Red Coral Reefs in the North Vatnin Ocean _to the sound of knocking on the door. He closed the book and put it on a side table, then got up and went to the door. Opening it, he was confronted by a hooded being holding a walking stick.

"Miditone?" Merlon questioned. The hooded figure nodded. "Come in. Don't stay in the cold." Merlon beckoned for Miditone to come in and the figure did. Merlon closed the door behind Miditone.

"I went to Aarniometsa, Merlon. She wasn't there. Keteraina had left already. What do I do, Merlon?" Miditone asked.

"Well," Merlon sighed. "I can look in my crystal ball once again. Would you like me to?" Miditone nodded. "Her name is Keteraina, right?" Another nod.

Merlon waved his hands over his crystal ball and concentrated. The fog in the ball started swirling, and a picture only seen by Merlon appeared. "It looks like... a forest next to a desert. A name is appearing... Les Neobydleny? Does that mean anything to you?"

Miditone scratched his head through his hood. "Hmm. Les Neobydleny. The forested desert? Yes, I know about it. I've been there. So I should go there to find Mereliah?"

Merlon's interest was piqued. "Mereliah? Who is that?"

"Nobody! I'm trying to find Keteraina. Mereliah is nobody!" Miditone tried to cover up his mistake.

"Mereliah was an Ancient, and no one has ever been named after her. Are you, perchance, Dimentio, the Ancient of the Dark Prognosticus? He was her lover, before he went crazy. Then she vowed to celibacy." Miditone lunged at Merlon, and Merlon attempted to jump out of the way. Miditone managed to grab Merlon, pull out a knife, and hold it to Merlon's throat all in one motion.

"Don't call me crazy, old man!" Miditone hissed. "But good job. Very few have ever figured out who I am."

"I had a feeling that you were Dimentio. But I helped you anyway, because I felt that if you were searching for a lost love you had a chance for redemption. Now I see I was wrong, in some ways."

"Silence, Merlon! Oh, for how long have I wanted to reveal to you who I was. But I needed your assistance. Now, I must go try to find Mereliah. But first, a parting gift," Dimentio snarled. With that, he hit Merlon over the head with the hilt of his knife. Merlon dropped like a sack of rutabagas. Dimentio sheathed his knife and looked at Merlon.

"Maybe your sixth sense is right, Merlon. Maybe I can be redeemed." Dimentio teleported away.

A/N: And thus continues the Mereliah series. I figure that 'Strangers' comes before this one, 'Beginnings' comes before 'Strangers,' and 'Sunset' comes after this one. Alright, now that that's out of the way, on to the commentary. Feel free to skip this next paragraph.

Here we see a new look at Dimentio, one explained partially during 'Sunset' and this story. Here goes the theory. I theorize that Dimentio had a lover during his days in the Ancient society. This lover, Mereliah, abandoned Dimentio once he went crazy during the Dark Prognosticus incident. After Mereliah abandoned Dimentio, the Court of the Tribe of the Ancients exiled him. Then, when Mereliah heard that Dimentio was exiled, she left the Tribe in protest. Dimentio, hearing about this, proceeded to hunt for Mereliah for many, many years, getting help from Merlon occasionally. On the way, he met Thyl and Tippi in, oh, we'll call it Ignis Land, which was one of the places Merlon told Dimentio to look. Finally, this story happened, and Dimentio went to Les Neobydleny. He didn't find her there, and, having revealed himself and betrayed Merlon, he had no other place to look. So, he wandered the dimensions until he found Count Bleck and joined up there. Anyway, that's what I think. Sorry for making you willing people suffer through that. It's interesting to me, at least.

Thanks for all those who read this story. I'm really enjoying writing this story, and this prompt in particular. This one ranks very high, possibly even first place. Also, if you found this one boring and plot-laden, don't worry. The next one should return to the misplaced humorosity.


	36. Smell

036: Smell

Nastasia wrinkled her nose. An odor was pervading the air. A quick check revealed that Dimentio wasn't to blame; he was wrinkling his nose as well. A similar check proved that Mimi wasn't the culprit; she too was wrinkling her nose. That left... O'Chunks.

Nastasia opened her mouth to broach the subject, but Dimentio beat her to it. "O'Chunks, my dear fellow, did you forget to shower again?"

O'Chunks flexed his muscles. "Ah dinnae ferget ta shower. Ah meant to smell this way. Tis a real man's smell! Tis the smell o' work!"

Dimentio began to retort, but evidently thought better of it. Mimi proceeded to wave the smell away from her nose. Nastasia decided not to worry about it. It didn't seem to bother the Count, who was floating and listening to the exchange. So, Nastasia didn't let it bother her.

A/N: Short, sweet, and to the point. Here we see O'Chunks's stance on showering. This is by no way a reflection of my own beliefs, ladies and gentlemen. I heartily believe a good, hot shower is one of the best things in the world. By the way, I recently wrote and published a one-shot titled 'Tattered Slippers.' If you could read and review that as well, I would really appreciate it.


	37. Sound

037: Sound

There it was again: the annoying clicking noise that had been going on for the better part of a half hour. Dimentio gritted his teeth. 'That noise is going to drive me insane,' he thought.

A few more minutes passed, and Dimentio began to notice a pattern in the clicking. Wondering what it could be, he cast his mind back through his life to see if he had ever heard anything like it before. It came to him in a flash. What he was hearing was Morse Code. The question now was: Who was sending a Morse Code message? Dimentio thought for a little bit, and concluded that, however unlikely it seemed, Mimi was the one sending the message, and she was sending it to him, Dimentio. How Mimi had learned Morse, Dimentio wasn't sure, but he decided to give her message a chance. He began writing down the letters as they came over the clicking, and through sheer luck started at the beginning of the message. Here is what Mimi sent him: ARE YOU AWAKE DIMENTIO

Dimentio grabbed a metal spoon (why he had a spoon in his room, we can only guess at) and tapped out a message: YES STOP

After a short pause, WHY ARE YOU SAYING STOP came through. Dimentio responded with STOP TAKES THE PLACE OF A PERIOD STOP

AH was Mimi's response. A few minutes passed in silence, then Dimentio's ears picked up a new message: ARE YOU STILL MY FRIEND DIMENTIO

Dimentio sat back in his chair. Thoughts ran around in his head. 'Am I still Mimi's friend? Is she still thinking of me as her friend?'

Dimentio straightened up with resolve. He realized he hadn't been a very good friend. So, Dimentio decided to be better. He tapped out YES MIMI YOU ARE MY FRIEND STOP

THANKS

A/N: A bit of Out-Of-Characterness for Dimentio, but it was necessary for the plot. It was fun writing out Morse Code messages, and writing for Dimentio and Mimi is equally, if not more fun. As for the placement of this story on the SPM timeline, it takes place before Dimentio decides to betray Count Bleck.


	38. Touch

038: Touch

"Stop touching me!"

"I am not touching you, Mimi."

"Stop touching me, Dimentio!"

"I'm offended that you think I'm touching you. I'm not touching you, I insist."

"Stop touching me!"

"I most certainly am not touching you. You are quite delusional."

"Stoppit!"

"Fine. I'll stop touching your shoulder with my finger."

"Thank you. What? What are you doing now? Stoppit!"

"I'm touching your other shoulder with another finger."

"Minions! Stop this nonsense!"

"Yes, Count."

"Fine, my dear Count. But I must say that I was not touching her."

"Hey! That's not true, meanie!"

"Minions, do not start this again."

"Fine."

"Okay."

A/N: I must say that it delighted me to write an all-dialogue story. It was an interesting challenge, getting the dialogue to say what I would have said in narration. What do you think?


	39. Taste

039: Taste

"Hello! I am your newscaster, Cee Jay Ess. This next show, coming to you live from the Land of the Cragnons, the first Crag-vision show to appear inter-dimensionally, is 'Flint Cragley, Crag Factor.' In this show, hosted by the influential Cragnon Flint Cragley, beings from dimensions other than the Land of the Cragnons are presented with local delicacies, which they must eat or be eliminated from the show! We now turn the time over to Flint Cragley." The screen switched from Cee Jay Ess to Flint Cragley standing in front of a table with five covered plates on it. Six people stood behind the table.

"I am your host, Flint Cragley! Today, we take a trip into the exotic. Six beings will attempt to eat Cragnon delicacies and not pass out, throw up, or leave the table! Presenting our six contestants!" The screen focuses on a blue Flipsider with a beard. "First up, we have the retired explorer, Heronicus!" The screen moves to a Sammer Guy. "Next, the vegetable-hating Sammer, Inferno Flower!" A familiar blue Pixl is next. "The bomb expert, that exploding master, Boomer!"

"How can Pixls eat?" Mr L asked from his position in front of the TV.

"Shh! TV!" Mimi chided.

The next person in line was an ordinary green Koopa. "Johnson, the shell maniac, is next!"

"I resent that classification, Flint," Johnson said.

"Hush, green one," Flint told Johnson. The camera panned across to a red-clad plumber. "The Hero of Crag, the Banisher of Bowser, the one-and-only Mario!" Mario waved to the camera. Then, the screen changed to the final contestant. He was very familiar-looking to the watching minions. "The Master of Dimensions, Pleaser of Crowds, Maestro of Magic, Dimentio!"

"Whoo-hoo!" the assembled minions cheered. Dimentio gave a casual salute.

"Now that everyone is introduced, we move on to the main event: The Eating. Cragley HO!" The six contestants crowded around the first plate, and Flint walked over to the plate. He gripped the covering, and, after looking at each of the contestants, whipped the covering off, nearly hitting Heronicus in the head.

"Watch it!" Heronicus yelled. The blue-clad mayor of Yold Town jumped up into the camera's vision.

"What?" Watchitt cried.

"Not you!" Heronicus shouted. Watchitt sank back into the crowd.

Meanwhile, the other contestants had been gaping at the stuff on the plate. What looked like rocks were sitting on the plate. Flint gestured at the plate, and each contestant grabbed a piece of the food. All together, they tossed the rock-like things in their mouths. A general chewing could be heard. One by one, they gulped it down, all except Heronicus. He opened his mouth to get some air, and all his teeth fell out.

"Ahh!" he yelled. All the other contestants snickered except for Mario. He patted Heronicus on the back. "I haf no teef!" Heronicus shouted as he ran off-screen.

"And Heronicus is out!" Flint announced. "Mario, Johnson, Dimentio, Boomer, and Inferno Flower are left. You ate... overcooked Muth." The five contestants nodded. Flint pulled the second plate's covering off. Small red wedges were on the plate. As one, Mario, Johnson, Dimentio, Boomer, and Inferno Flower picked up a piece each and popped it in their mouths. Inferno Flower gagged a bit, and the others swallowed it without hassle.

"What is this, Flintus?" Inferno Flower asked weakly.

"Oh, it's a turnip juice-marinated, sun-dried tomato slice," Flint responded matter-of-factly. Inferno Flower's eyes bugged out, he leaned forward and back, and fell over with one leg in the air, occasionally twitching.

"Dramatis persona," Dimentio muttered. The four remaining contestants moved on to the third plate. Flint pulled the cover off of the plate, and Mario's mouth dropped open. On the plate were a bunch of mushrooms. Mario grinned, then began stuffing each and every mushroom into his mouth. He swallowed with a look of ecstasy on his face. It rapidly changed to a look of pain and he fanned his mouth. Mario looked around for some water and, spying some behind the crowd, he ran over and began drinking as much as he could.

"Mario is gone!" Flint said. "The Hero has fallen to the superspicy rock fungus! The One has crashed! The Plumber has encountered a clogged pipe!"

"Can we move on? BOOM!" Boomer asked.

"Oh, yes."

"Eh, ah thought Maria would go all the way," O'Chunks pronounced.

"Aren't you for Dimentio?" Mimi asked.

"Well, sure. Ah jus' thought Maria would win."

"Come on, guys," Mr L said. "Flint is uncovering the fourth plate." They all turned their attention to the TV, where Flint had just uncovered the fourth plate.

Dimentio, Boomer, and Johnson all picked up a piece of the translucent food, and each put it in their mouths. Dimentio and Johnson chewed and swallowed, but Boomer began shivering uncontrollably. He fell to the ground and turned bluer than he already was.

"Get the paramedics!" Flint called. "Boomer has reacted to the cold quartz-ice!" A pair of Cragnons carrying a stretcher rushed on-camera, picked Boomer up, and placed him on the stretcher. They then rushed off, and a siren was heard. "Well, folks, hopefully Boomer will be alright. Now, it comes down to these two, Dimentio, Maestro of Magic, and Johnson, Shell Mariner."

"Yeah!" Mr L, Mimi, and O'Chunks yelled.

"I don't work on the sea, Flint," Johnson said.

"Oh well. The final plate will be uncovered... now." Flint took the cover off of the fifth and final plate, to reveal... two pieces of what appeared to be raw meat with leaves on it. "The final food item is a foodstuff not seen since the beginning of Crag," Flint announced. "Raw Muth topped with Floro Sapien leaves."

Dimentio picked up his piece of meat and ate it. He chewed slowly, pondering the flavor, then gulped it down.

"Good job, Dimentio!" Mimi yelled.

Dimentio looked pointedly at Johnson and gestured at the remaining piece of meat. Johnson picked it up. He looked at it from all angles, then dropped it into his mouth. He ground up the meat with his teeth, then swallowed. Dimentio smiled, and so did Johnson. They clasped hands and shook.

"Goodness, folks! We have two winners today! Dimentio, Maestro of Magic, and Johnson, the Koopa King, are our winners!"

"GO DIMENTIO!" Mimi yelled. O'Chunks began shouting nonsense, and Mr L clapped.

"Flint," Johnson said. "I'm not the Koopa King."

"I tried." Flint shrugged.

"What do we win?" Dimentio asked. Flint's smile wavered.

"About that. We didn't really, um, prepare a prize."

"What?" both Johnson and Dimentio said.

A/N: Needless to say, both Koopa and Maestro were mad. They teamed up to put Flint Cragley in front of a charging Muth. Flint barely escaped with his life. 'Flint Cragley, Crag Factor' never had another episode. Johnson and Dimentio, both having enjoyed Cragnon cuisine, treated each other to the most extravagant restaurant in Crag. Mr L took Flint to court, O'Chunks threatened to give Flint a taste of his chunks, and Mimi scared the living daylights out of Flint with her 'True Form...'

Anyway, a perfect place to end a chapter. I'm sure some people will think that it should have ended differently, but I liked it. So there. Just kidding.

For those who are wondering, there is a Sammer Guy named Inferno Flower in the Sammer Kingdom. Just so you know. This is also the first time Mr L has appeared since number twenty-seven. Go Mr L!

I figure this happens after the main story of Super Paper Mario, during The Great Allie's The Count's World, or something like that. I haven't yet asked her if I can reference her stories. What do you guys think? Do you think that as long as I site her, I'm fine? Or should I ask? I think if I site her, I'll be fine.


	40. Sight

040: Sight

Dimentio reclined in a lawn chair on a beach in Bylta Vatn. Nearby, Mimi was building a replica of Castle Bleck out of sand.

"Look, Dimentio! Look at my sand castle!" Mimi called.

Dimentio levered himself up and looked at the castle. "That is a very good model of Castle Bleck, Mimi. Now please let me be." He laid back down.

Mimi glanced up at the sky, to see if there were any clouds going to cover the sun. She was getting too hot. Then, she saw something that took her mind off of being warm.

"Dimentio! I just saw a UFO!"

Dimentio opened his eyes and looked at the sky. "I don't see a UFO. All I see is a spaceship."

"I thought that's what a UFO was," Mimi said, confused.

"No. UFO means Universe Ferret Outlaw. Have you no education?"

"No, you silly. I can't believe you forgot."

"Well, I'm not the best at remembering. Keep on playing, we have to leave in ten minutes." Dimentio closed his eyes again.

There was silence for a few moments, then Mimi asked, "What's a spaceship doing here, Dimentio?"

Dimentio groaned.

Later, when Nastasia was tucking Mimi into bed, Mimi sighed in contentment. Nastasia mistook it for longing and inquired, "What's wrong, Mimi?"

"Nothing's wrong, Nassy. I'm just happy that I'm friends with Dimentio."

"What did he do this time?"

"He told me what UFO really stands for."

"What does it stand for?" Nastasia asked, fearing the worst.

"Universe Ferret Outlaw," Mimi said.

"Well, um, good for him. Good for you, too. Good night, Mimi."

"Good night, Nassy."

Nastasia closed the door behind her. Then, gathering her voice, she yelled, "DIMENTIO!"

A/N: So ends another prompt. I liked this one because, number unus, Dimentio got to tell Mimi that UFO stood for something other than Unidentified Flying Object. Anyway, on to other business.

On the sound advice of icefox425 and a quick talk with my esteemed father, I have sent a message to The Great Allie asking for permission to reference her stories and use her timeline. As of yet, I have not received an answer, but I will keep you all posted.


	41. Shapes

041: Shapes

Mimi sat at the kitchen table, cutting out shapes in Kibitz-Clay that was spread all over the table. She used a mold to make a square. Then, she used a cookie cutter to cut out a circle. It was at this moment that Dimentio made his entrance.

"And so I arrive, like a dog beckoned by his master? No, no, that doesn't work. I'll keep working on that. Ah, Mimi! What, pray tell, are you doing?" Dimentio asked.

Mimi turned to look at Dimentio. "Hey, Dimentio. I'm playing with Kib-ist Clay. Would you like to?"

Dimentio shook his head. "No, I couldn't possibly 'play' with you, Mimi. I couldn't live it- alright. For five minutes only." Dimentio sat down next to Mimi and upended a container of purple clay. He grabbed a triangle shaper and began cutting out triangles. He kept at the cutting until he decided to use a star cutter. Then, he continued shaping.

Mimi laughed quietly to herself as Dimentio started piecing the shaped clay together. 'He's played for more than five minutes,' she thought. 'He's a great friend.'

Dimentio concentrated harder as the model took shape. A triangle there, a star here. Finally, after ten more minutes, Mimi was able to see what it was supposed to be. She gasped. It was a scale replica of... her.

A/N: Felt like a great place to end. Anyway, I'm sure some people out there think now I'm pushing DimentioXMimi. I thought I was, too, but then I figured out that Dimentio loves Mimi like a sister. I'm hope we all remember drawing our siblings or parents when we were little. Also, I was forced to put in the following paragraph by Maffel Inc. Apparently, I'm their spokesperson.

Kibitz-Clay is a registered trademark of Maffel Inc, and all attempting to use it without permission will be prosecuted.


	42. Triangle

042: Triangle

A triangle table in the Grand Library of the Dimensions was occupied by our favorite jester, Dimentio. He was reading, you see. What book was he reading? I'm glad you asked. Dimentio was reading a book titled _Hyrule: A Guide. _He was interested in this far-off dimension because it was a medieval society, and he loved studying medieval societies.

At that precise moment, he was reading about the Triforce, the mystical artifact of Hyrule. Dimentio was getting so into it that he started reading out loud.

"The Triforce is a triangular item, with three triangles making it up. Each triangle stands for something different, each one representing a virtue of the three Goddesses. The three virtues are Courage, Power, and Wisdom." Dimentio scratched his head in thought. "Is that true?" he asked himself. "I would have made them represent Life, the Universe, and Everything."

A/N: Numero forty-two is done! Yes! I couldn't resist a _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ reference after my dad suggested it. That's just one reason I like this one. I also like this one because we learn that Dimentio likes medieval societies. I happen to like them as well, so you can see where I'm coming from.


	43. Square

043: Square

Mr L blinked at the sight that greeted his eyes: Dimentio was floating around the living room, waving his hands in time to the jazzy music that sounded from the speaker. Mr L watched as Dimentio started adding spins and hops into the routine. He kept watching him until Dimentio noticed he was being watched.

"Mr L, my high-jumping friend. Why are you staring at me as though I am an exotic animal from Bylta Vatn?" Dimentio asked.

"Uh... um... well, that is... Why are you _dancing_?"

"I am ashamed to hear such an undignified word. Besides, I'm not dancing. I'm caracoling," Dimentio remarked.

"Oh, ok. One more question. Why do you have this song on? There are others that are much better."

"Mr L, if you were where this music is played and you said that, you would be considered a square. Now, please leave me be."

Mr L shrugged and left the living room. Then he broke into a run, desperately wanting to inform the other minions that Dimentio was dancing before he stopped.

A/N: And thus I have pulled a slang meaning of square, out of thin air (not really; I used Google.) I liked this one a lot. I enjoyed making Dimentio enjoy jazz, of all music. It's not as unlikely as heavy metal, for instance, but still a bit unlikely.


	44. Circle

044: Circle

Mimi yawned as she sat down at the kitchen table. Nastasia put an egg in front of her, and Mimi began picking at it. Though she appeared tired, she had a look of concentration on her face. After picking for a little while and finally taking a bite of egg, she looked up at Nastasia.

"Nassy?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes?"

"What's the Circle of Life?" Nastasia glanced at Mimi.

"Where did you hear about that, Mimi?" Nastasia questioned.

"Oh, just on a show I watched. What is it, Nassy?"

"Well, um, the Circle of Life, huh? Hmm." To buy some time, Nastasia took a bite of her egg. Finally, she thought of something. "Mimi, the Circle of Life is the process by which animals eat other things, die, and then become food for other animals."

Mimi let it sink in, then responded with a simple, "Ok. Thanks." She jumped off her chair and went up to her room. Nastasia waited until Mimi had left to go into the living room and check the VCR. She pulled out _The Muth Monarch_, thus confirming her suspicions.

"I remember this movie," Nastasia mused. "It's one of my favorites."

A/N: Third chapter today! Sweet! On other news, I was pondering what to do for this prompt and bam! I came up with the Circle of Life! In my opinion, it's the most memorable song in The Lion King.

As to Nastasia, I imagine her favorite character is Zazu.


	45. Moon

045: Moon

Dimentio watched Mimi carry her sleeping gear into his room. On Mimi's insistence, she and Dimentio were having a sleep-over. And Dimentio, being what Mimi would call a 'big softie,' (he denied it vehemently,) agreed. Though, as he waited for Mimi to get her stuff situated, he realized he cared for Mimi like a sister. That was why he did things like this for her.

Dimentio's ponderings were interrupted by Mimi saying, "That's the last of it. Thanks for letting us have a sleep-over, Dimmy."

"Please, don't call me 'Dimmy.' It's disgraceful," Dimentio asked, but Mimi just kept on talking.

"And thanks for letting Mr L come over for scary stories."

"I didn't have any choice, did I? You wouldn't let up." Mimi ignored him again.

"What story are you going to tell, Dimmy?"

"I told you, don't call me that. I was thinking I would tell the Weresquig story."

"I've never heard that one. What's it about?" Mimi asked.

"It's about... the Weresquig. It's a demon squig that roams the countryside, biting folks and turning them into weresquigs. It's a tale of intrigue, and a tale of horror," Dimentio explained. "Mimi?"

"Hmm?" Mimi grunted, straightening out her sleeping bag.

"Do you want to help me?"

"Ok. With what?"

"Here's the plan..."

* * *

Mr L gingerly knocked on Dimentio's door, and heard a spooky voice say, "Do please enter." Mr L shuddered and opened the door. The lights were all off, and Dimentio and Mimi were gathered around a lantern.

"Welcome," Dimentio said, in the same spooky voice as before. "Take a seat." Mr L sat down next to the lantern. Dimentio rose and walked over to the window. He peeked out of the curtains and gave a ghostly smile. "It's a crescent moon tonight. Perfect for a story about the terror of the Weresquig."

"The... Weresquig?" Mr L squeaked. Dimentio nodded. He returned to the lantern.

"It was a night much like this," Dimentio began. "A man was walking the lanes of Lupus Silva. He looked up at the moon...

* * *

_He looked up at the moon, a waning crescent moon. On all other nights, he had been fine. On this night, though, he felt a strange stirring inside his heart. All of a sudden, he began changing. His legs and arms shortened and thinned to the size of jumbo toothpicks. His eyes became smaller until they were the size of buttons. They turned coal black. His body compacted into a small square. His mouth grew into a monstrous thing with thick lips and dripping fangs._

_He regarded himself, and jumped in surprise. He was a squig! Or, to be more precise, a weresquig. How could this have happened? The man thought, and then remembered a few days back to when he had been traversing Lineland. He had been bitten by a rabid squig. He had stomped the squig, but that didn't change the fact that now he was a mutant, most probably to be shunned by the dimensions._

_Then, his mind lost all logical thoughts. He was consumed by a desire to feed. A desire that would not be denied._

_He roamed the countryside of Lupus Silva, and bit three Silvans. The next morning, he changed back into his true form. He had no memory of the previous night. But three more weresquigs were to wander the countryside from his activities that night._

_Now, he tries to make it to an abandoned dimension every crescent moon so that no beings are harmed. Sometimes, he does not make it, and more weresquigs are created._ _He is one you know very well. He is... me._

_

* * *

_

Mr L gasped, along with Mimi. Dimentio smiled, and disappeared. He then made sounds like a squig, and Mr L started shaking uncontrollably. Dimentio made a squig out of his hands, and put it in the lantern light. He started making the squig chew, and Mr L yelled as he saw the shadow puppet attacking Mimi. Mimi started screaming. Mr L couldn't take it anymore, and he ran out of Dimentio's bedroom, shouting.

Dimentio reappeared, smirking. He and Mimi high-fived each other. Then they climbed into their respective beds.

Mimi was about to fall asleep when she heard the noises Dimentio had made earlier. "Dimmy?"

"What?"

"Weresquigs aren't real, right?"

"No, Mimi. They are not real. Goodnight."

The two conspirators fell asleep rather quickly, so they didn't see the shadow of a squig scurry across in front of the lantern and go out the window.

Should I tell Dimentio and Mimi?

No, I shouldn't.

A/N: Fourth chapter today, man! That rocks! I'm on fire! Ouch! (Pardon the joke.)

This was in part inspired by _Full Moon, _a Legend of Zelda fanfiction by Legend of Zelda 4 life. This was also inspired by werewolves and squigs. All proceeds of this chapter will be given to the Squicanthropy Foundation.

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario or assorted characters. I do own the Weresquigs and Lupus Silva. There will be no monetary gain from this for me. (Here's as good a place as any to place this disclaimer.)


	46. Star

046: Star

"_Mario..."_

The plumber in question was asleep.

"_Mario..."_

He was dreaming. The voice you're hearing was in his dream. Let's move into the dream world, shall we?

* * *

_Mario stood on a floating... thing. He didn't know for certain what it was. There were many different sections, as though the thing was a house. He heard the feminine voice speak again. "Mario," it said. "Your special one has been kidnaped by the King of Evil. To save her, you'll need the power to travel through space."_

_The dream changed to a ball of ice in space. Rabbit-like creatures hopped around on it. Strange, considering most rabbits like temperate climates. Mario didn't let this bother him. He walked around the planet. After a little ways, he came to a star-like creature. "This is a Luma. It is a baby star. These newborns will grow up to become galaxies someday. When stars die, they turn into stardust and scatter across space. This dust eventually will reform into a new star. The cycle is never quite the same. So you'll see."_

_Mario turned, and found himself on a giant machine. A shadowy figure floated next to him. "Why am I telling you this?" The voice seemed to come from the shadowed figure. The figure had a lady's build. "All new life carries the essence of the stars. Even you, though you may not feel it yet. You will need all this power to defeat the King of Evil."_

_Mario looked at the shadowy figure. The shadows melted away, and there stood a princess in a gown the color that exists when the sun shines from out of the clouds. Her hair was platinum-blond and covered one eye. She was beautiful, Mario thought. Perhaps even more beautiful than Peach._

"_You will soon come see me. I eagerly await the day, my special one." The last three words were said in a whisper that Mario couldn't hear._

_The princess tapped Mario on the head with her wand, sending a shiver down Mario's spine. The dream slowly faded away into the black of dreamless sleep._

A/N: Alright, I'll admit it. I enjoy the MarioxRosalina pairing. I might even enjoy it more than MarioxPeach. Anyway, I couldn't resist doing something about Super Mario Galaxy. Hey, I think it still counts as a Super Paper Mario fic. It contains characters from SPM, right? Oh well. On the other side of the fence, this idea came to me while I was out walking today.

This is random, but it must be said. I think 'kidnaped' should be spelled 'kidnapped.'


	47. Heart

047: Heart

"Hi-yah!" Peach gave a most unladylike yell and hit the Ping-pong ball back towards Mario. Mario calmly rebounded it back to Peach. Peach lunged for the ball, but missed. The ball bounced past her, and hit the floor.

Mario pumped his fist, and Luigi announced, "Mario: 15. Peach: 14." Peach retrieved the ball and prepared to serve it. Just when she hit it, there was a knock on the door, causing Peach to flail wildly and hit it far over Mario's head. "Mario wins!" Luigi said. Mario smiled and picked up the ball, while Peach stomped over to the door. She opened it and instantly went into a better mood. At the door was a Parakoopa. This was no ordinary Parakoopa, though. It was the Mario Bros' mailman, Parakarry. He was carrying an envelope.

"Hello, Miss Peach," Parakarry greeted. "You are exactly who I was looking for. This letter is for you."

"Thank you," Peach said, taking the letter. "Why couldn't you leave it at my castle?"

"The postmaster told me that this was a Priority First-Class Fast-Rush letter. I couldn't leave it at your castle, Miss Peach."

"Oh, alright then. Do you know who it's from?" Peach asked.

"No idea. Have a good day." Parakarry saluted, then flew off. Peach closed the door and walked back over to the Ping-pong table, where Mario was fiercely battling Luigi.

"Who was that?" Luigi asked as he chopped the ball.

"It was Parakarry. He had a letter for me. Shall I open it?"

Both Mario and Luigi nodded. Mario slammed the ball back at Luigi. Luigi missed, and Mario racked up another point. They set their paddles on the table and crowded around Peach. She slit the envelope open with her fingernail. Her hands were calm and steady as she pulled the letter out of the envelope. Actually, it was more of a card. To be perfectly concise, it was a Catch Card. The look on Peach's face was one of puzzlement. Mario and Luigi were cracking up, for they could see what was on the front of the card. Peach turned the card over and almost choked. There was a heart on the card.

Peach opened the card and read the writing. "'Dear Peach. You caught my heart. Signed, Anonymous.' Who is this from?" There was no name on the card.

_Knock knock_. Mario went to the door and opened it. "Bowser, what-a are you-a doing here?"

"Back off, plumber. I'm looking for Peach. She should have gotten something from me just recently," Bowser said.

Peach gagged, while Luigi seemed to find savage joy in this and tried to hold in his laughter.

"I'm-a sorry. Peach isn't here. She's at-a her castle."

"No, she's not, Mario. I followed that lazy Koopa here. I know she's around. Peach! It's your favorite burly Koopa King!"

Peach reluctantly came to the door, knowing that if she didn't get Bowser to go away, he never would. "Hello, Bowser," she said.

Bowser smiled and held his arms out. "Ah, there's my favorite princess. So, tell me. Did you like the card?"

"No! Why do you insist on sending me cards on days other than my birthday? That's really strange. Do you like me or something? Go away!" Peach exclaimed. Luigi couldn't hold in his laughter any more, so he removed himself from the vicinity. Bowser looked shocked.

"Haven't I told you countless times about my adoration for you, my princess? How can you claim to not know about my love? Come with me, princess. Leave these plumbers behind and come with me to my castle, where we can be married and live happily."

Peach turned her nose up at Bowser and walked away. She left the room and went into the same room as Luigi. He was still laughing, and Peach joined him in laughing. They stopped for a moment to hear Mario tell Bowser, "I guess-a she doesn't like-a your card, Bowser. Now, please-a leave, or I will-a be forced to force-a you off-a my property." Peach and Luigi looked at each other and started laughing again, even harder than before.

A/N: That was an exceedingly fun prompt. I had this idea about a Heart Catch Card way back around the single-digits. The idea about it being from Bowser was inspired by C.A.H.L.Y. asking if I could write more Bowser stuff. Thanks for the idea, C.A.H.L.Y.

I got a savage pleasure from writing this and putting Peach through this trial. On the other side of the fence, we're almost halfway done with the story. From here, there are about, oh, fifty-six chapters left. This includes fifty-three regular chapters, and three bonus chapters. Yeah!

Fun Fact: I often misspell 'Mario.' My fingers often want to type 'Mairo.'


	48. Diamond

048: Diamond

"Hmm hmm hm hmm hmmmmm!" Dimentio hummed while walking through Castle Bleck. He entered the living room, where he was beset with a low, droning sound. Scratching his head, Dimentio came around the couch and found Mimi and Mr L holding their hands over a pyramid made of Mimi's diamond jewelry. They were making the droning sound. Dimentio spun around and hurriedly walked out, but was stopped by Mr L.

"Hey, Dimentio," Mr L said, sounding zoned-out. "Do you wish to join us in meditation?" Dimentio reluctantly turned back to the two minions.

"No," Dimentio firmly proclaimed.

"Come on, Dimmy!" Mimi pleaded. "The meditation is helping clean our aura! Plus, the diamonds increase our love energy!"

"You're trying to get 'love energy?' This is crazy, even for you, L." Dimentio shook his head.

"You could really use a diamond cleansing, Dimentio," Mr L droned.

"What? Are you saying that my aura is impure?" Dimentio demanded. "It is not impure!"

"Then you won't mind joining us in meditation," Mimi said.

Dimentio shrugged. "Why not?" He sat down on the third side of the pyramid and held his hands over the diamonds. As he hummed along with Mimi and Mr L, Dimentio wondered why he was going along with it. Was he feeling a bit unclean? He didn't know for sure, but he sure was feeling better than he had felt in a while. Dimentio smiled. Maybe he would be able to find Mereliah after this, if it was true that diamonds increased love energy.

A/N: I struggled with this prompt for a while, and I'm sorry for the delay. I've been sick for a bit, you know, sick stomach and the works. Thankfully, no vomiting, though. Anyway, this was inspired by a website called Buzzle. I don't know if you know it or not. On it I found a great page about diamonds and their uses, spiritual and otherwise.

Sorry to bore you with that commentary, but thanks for reading. It does my heart good to know that people read this.


	49. Club

049: Club

Mr L, Dimentio, and Mimi were sitting around the kitchen table in Castle Bleck. Well, Mimi was standing. The other two were sitting.

"Welcome to the first meeting of our club," Mimi said in her best leader's voice. She continued. "First order of business is to come up with a name for our club. Are there any suggestions? Dimmy, do you have any ideas?"

Dimentio put his hand to his chin and thought. After a few moments, he smiled. "Yes, I do believe I have a name. I think we should call it 'The Dimentio Fan Club.' That or 'The Club Determined To Take Over The World For Count Bleck.'"

Mr L snickered, and Dimentio glowered at him. The snickers died in Mr L's throat. "Do you have any better ideas, my green acquaintance?" Dimentio asked.

"Um, no?" Mr L squeaked.

"Then kindly do not mock my ideas, for if you do I shall mock yours."

Mimi slammed her hand down on the table. "Ow! That hurt, meanie table!"

"Were you trying to get our attention, Mimi?" Dimentio asked.

"Yes," Mimi said through teeth gritted in pain. She shook out her hand and obviously felt better, for she continued. "I don't think we can call it 'The Dimentio Fan Club.'"

"Why ever not?"

"The Skellobits would get mad at us," Mimi replied.

"What Skellobits?" Mr L asked.

"The invisible ones," Mimi whispered, furtively looking back and forth. Mr L and Dimentio looked at each other and shrugged.

"Let's just let it go," Mr L said quietly. Dimentio nodded. Mimi stopped looking around and checked the clock. She gasped.

"Well, good meeting, friends. I've got to go write in my diary. Let's meet again same time tomorrow." Mimi jumped down from the table and ran off upstairs. Mr L and Dimentio looked at each other and nodded, silently agreeing to be very busy the next day.

A/N: I am psyched. Soon, perhaps tomorrow or today, we will hit the halfway point of the main story (not including the bonus chapters.) I've been looking forward to writing the next author's note for a while.

Anyway, onto other matters. It seems that I have fallen into a rhythm here, with one post every Saturday. This seems to work best for me, and I hope you all are fine with it. I will post on off days if I feel up to it, but it may not happen. Who knows?

Also, I am finally working on the next chapter of Final Checkmate. It should be posted today or next week. Sorry about the delay.


	50. Spade

050: Spade

"Dimmy!" Mimi called, looking around the corner of a hallway. "Dimmy!" She continued calling as she combed the entirety of Castle Bleck. Finally, she exited Castle Bleck to begin looking outside as well. "Dimmy!"

"What?" Dimentio's voice came from the north side of Castle Bleck. Mimi hurried over there to find Dimentio digging in the grey dirt. A mound of soil was next to him.

"What are you doing?" Mimi asked. Dimentio sat back on his knees and put down his shovel.

"I'm digging, Mimi. And to forestall the inevitable question, I'm digging a grave for my beloved spade-foot toad."

"Oh," Mimi said. She scratched her head. "Did she die?"

"Yes, she did. I woke up this morning and went to feed her, and I found her lying motionless. I then broke down crying. And in my grief, I noticed that it all seemed very poetic," Dimentio sniffed. "Will you say a few words for her, Mimi? I seem to be in too much pain. Her name is Mereliah."

"Okay." Mimi cleared her throat and began. "Oh, Mereliah. I never knew you, but Dimmy loved you a lot. You must have been a good toad. I don't know, 'cause I think toads are icky. But you are probably in a good place now, and Dimmy shouldn't worry 'cause of that. And I don't know what else to say, but good luck, icky toad that Dimmy liked."

Dimentio opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a fresh deluge of tears. Mimi patted him awkwardly on the back. Dimentio leaned against her and put his head on her shoulder. His body was wracked with sobs. Mimi gave him a comforting hug.

After a while, Dimentio pulled away from Mimi and smiled a genuinely grateful smile. "Thanks, Mimi," he said. "I'm just going to put the coffin in the hole, and then fill it up with the dirt. You can go back in."

Mimi nodded and walked away. She turned back as she went around the corner of Castle Bleck, and the last thing she saw was Dimentio, gravely shoveling the grey dirt back into the hole on top of a barely visible wooden coffin. He was crying again.

A/N: It was interesting to write this one-shot. For one thing, exploring Dimentio's sentimental side was fun. For another, it was fun to write Mimi's interaction with Dimentio, just bordering on 'comfort fluff,' but not really meaning it to be fluff. I don't really like writing fluff, unless it's pseudo-fluff. Anyway, I hope I didn't scar anyone's view of Dimentio. I just wanted to see if Dimentio had a sensitive side as well as his regular callous, jaded self. As always, I thank you for reading, and I (hopefully) promise that Dimentio will not be this sensitive in the future.

On an unrelated note, we are now halfway through the story! (Not including the bonus chapters.) Thanks for keeping with me through my delays, especially this most recent one.


	51. Water

051: Water

Mr L peered around the corner of a hallway. He scanned the hallway, and, finding it empty, darted around the corner. Immediately, he was met by a blast of water. The culprit giggled, until Mr L turned his water gun on her. "Mimi. I should have expected that. Now, feel the wrath of my UltraShroomSoakr1240!"

Mr L pursued Mimi down the opposite hallway, squirting a continuous stream of water at her. Mimi retreated, and when she had gotten a good distance from Mr L, she jumped and flipped away. Mr L skidded to a stop, looking around for Mimi. Not finding her anywhere, he relaxed and ran through a nearby door into a bathroom. He put the quiet to good use and refilled his UltraShroomSoakr1240.

Mr L exited the bathroom while twisting the cap back on the water tank. He walked quickly down the hall, and came across Dimentio. The jester was floating near the ceiling, humming what sounded suspiciously like the Flint Cragley theme. Mr L snickered, then waved at Dimentio.

"Hey, Dimentio. Are you humming the Flint Cragley theme?"

Dimentio instantly stopped humming. "Of course not, my incorrect friend. I am humming the Ratrix Reloaded theme. Why do you think I would lower myself enough to hum such a base theme? Enough of that. What are you doing carrying an old UltraShroomSoakr1240 around the great Castle Bleck?"

"Mimi and I are having a water gun fight. Want to join us?" Mr L asked.

"Hmm. I must think about this," Dimentio said, tapping his chin in thought. He tapped for a moment, then pulled his fingers into a pistol shape. "Yes, I do believe that I will. En garde!" Dimentio dove to the right while squirting water out of his fingertips.

"Hey!" Mr L shouted, jumping out of the way and barely dodging the water Dimentio had shot. Mr L retaliated by pumping his UltraShroomSoakr1240 and pulling the trigger. Dimentio retreated down the hall, floating backwards and shooting water at Mr L. Mr L pursued Dimentio, returning the attack squirt for squirt.

Dimentio came out into the foyer of Castle Bleck, with Mr L right behind. Unfortunately, Dimentio ran into Count Bleck.

"Ack!" Count Bleck grunted.

"Who dares be in my- Oh. Hello, dear Count. What brings you to this patch of Castle Bleck today?" Dimentio questioned.

"H-hey, Count," Mr L squeaked.

"Take this, you meanie!" Mimi cried, dashing out of one of the many hallways nearby and squirting Mr L. Mr L put his finger to his lips and pointed to the Count. "Oh... Sorry, Count."

Count Bleck stared at Dimentio, Mr L, and Mimi in turn. "What is this ruckus in Count Bleck's castle?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

"Um, well, you see, Mr L and I were having a water gun fight, then I guess Dimentio joined in, and, well, then we found you, Count," Mimi nervously explained.

"I see. Well, there is only one thing to do." Count Bleck put his hands behind his back. He pulled out an UltraShroomSoakr2480. "I suppose the only thing to do is join in on the fight!" Count Bleck said, and proceeded to douse the three.

A/N: I realize that the past three chapters (not including this one) have been about Count Bleck's minions, and that this one is mostly about the minions as well. The reason for this is that I've found it hard to place any characters other than the minions in the scenarios I've written. I appreciate your support of this, and I promise that the next one will be about someone other than the minions (if I can pull it off.) This crazy scene came to me one day, and I knew it was perfect.

I also realize that Count Bleck is out-of-character. If you aren't a fan of that, sorry. Just know that I couldn't write this with him in character. At least, not without a lot of trouble. And, in the interest of keeping him as in character as humanly possible, I decided to end it right there. You can speculate what happens next.

Here's to another half of hopefully good stories!


	52. Fire

052: Fire

"Ach, thees eez a deeficult, calameetous affleection to haf. Ah'm afraeed that you haf Nonflammas Vox," the elderly doctor Koopa said, looking down Bowser's throat.

"Whas dat?" Bowser asked, his voice warped from being open so far.

"Vat?"

Bowser jerked his head away from the doctor. "I said, 'What's that?'"

"Ach. Vell, thees affleection, Nonflammas Vox, stops up your feere breath. You cannot breath feere weeth this affleection."

"So... my fire breath is stopped up? Hmm. Shouldn't be too hard to take care of, right? All I have to do is clear my throat."

The doctor waved his arms around in panic. "Nay, nay! You should not clear your throat! That weel make eet worse. Eenstead of the normal three days, eet weel take an extra seven, ten een all."

"Crud. Fine."

The doctor packed up his instruments and picked up his medical bag. "Vell, ah weel see you agaeen een three days. By then, eet should be cleared up. Have a good day, Your Feroceeousness."

Bowser watched the doctor leave, then put his head in his hands. "What will I do without my flame breath?" he asked himself.

A/N: Now, the question is, does this go anywhere else? You'll have to wait until the next group of five to find out. Muahahaha!

Alright, on to other news. It's almost November! I am so psyched! For those who don't know, November is National Novel Writing Month, the goal being to write a novel in one month. This November, I'm aiming for 35,000 words. If you don't mind, could you please wish me good luck?

Anyway, what does that mean for my fanfiction? It means that most likely, I will not be updating for the entire month. I might update near the end, because hopefully I'll finish my novel sooner rather than later. But who knows? For April's Script Frenzy, I updated a few times and I was just fine.

That's it! So, don't expect to hear from me until December, at the latest. Thanks for your support!


	53. Earth

053: Earth

Mario waved to the crowd as Peach put a medal around his neck. She leaned in and kissed him on the nose, like she always did. Then, she whispered in his ear, "Come see me later today. I'm going to bake a cake for you." Mario nodded, a big smile on his face. Peach straightened up and turned to the crowd. "I would like to thank Mario for saving me from Bowser once again. This is the fifteenth time he's saved me. Let's all give Mario a round of applause." The crowd clapped enthusiastically, some even jumping up and down.

Mario waved again, and walked down the steps leading up to the pedestal. Once he had dismounted the stairs, he flipped into the third dimension so that he could escape the crowds.

Making his way home, Mario tripped and fell flat on his nose. He pushed himself up and dusted off his hands. As he entered his house, he looked at his hands. "Why-a do I always get-a so much-a earth beneath-a my fingernails? With all-a of it, I could-a make a whole dimension from-a it."

The plumber went into the kitchen and made to turn on the faucet when he got a strange look on his face. For a while, he stayed like that, until he shook himself out of his stupor and headed to the bathroom.

When Mario entered the bathroom, he grabbed a scrubber and closed the drain on the sink. He began scrubbing furiously at his fingernails. The earth fell from beneath his nails into the sink. The earth built up, and finally his nails were clean.

Mario opened up the cupboard beneath the sink and pulled out his plumbing tools. He made his way back into the kitchen and got beneath the kitchen sink. Taking out his wrench, he worked with an enthusiasm he usually reserved for epic missions. He finally was able to take the u-bend pipe out. With a maniacal smile on his face, Mario closed the underneath of the sink and rushed back into the bathroom, where he emptied out the u-bend into the mounds of earth. More earth, grease, and old moldy mushrooms fell into the bathroom sink.

After throwing the u-bend into the bath tub, Mario pulled out a Fire Flower he had stowed in his pocket. He activated it, turning into Fire Mario, then grabbed the debris in the sink and mushed it all together into a ball of gross material. Then, using his fire powers, he charred the ball of stuff into a crispy sphere, also managing to scorch the sink black.

* * *

Luigi opened the front door and came in from working in the garden. He went into the kitchen and turned on the faucet, letting the water run over his hands as he washed them. It was when the water started coming from beneath the sink that he started to worry. "Oh, that's not good," Luigi said, watching water pour out from the pipe. Then it occurred to him to turn off the faucet.

He finished turning off the faucet, and heard Mario laughing crazily from the bathroom. Luigi groaned, and put his head in his hands. "He's trying to make a dimension again." After a little bit, he got up and went into the bathroom to talk Mario out of trying to make a dimension.

The scorched sink never got completely clean.

A/N: Alright, I lied. I couldn't resist writing one more story before NaNoWriMo. So, hope you enjoyed. Also, I plan on writing at least a special Thanksgiving story around Thanksgiving weekend or so, so look forward to that. Other than that, I might not be updating. But I'll probably change my mind for sure. What in the world did that mean?


	54. Air

054: Air

The sky was dark, and it frequently flashed. No, there wasn't a storm. That's just the way the sky was in Dimension Bleck.

Anyway, on this normal day, Dimentio was watching the CragVision. It was showing _Flint Cragley, Cragtrotter_. Dimentio was so engrossed in the show that he didn't notice Mimi come into the room, looking downcast. It wasn't until she plunked down next to him on the couch, heaving a sigh, that he realized she was there.

"Hello, little Mimi. What brings you here during my TV time?" Dimentio asked.

"I've just been sad all day, Dimmy," Mimi said.

Dimentio thought about asking her not to call him that, but thought better of it. "What is troubling you? If your current boyfriend isn't being nice, just show me to him. I'll teach him."

"No, that's not it. But thanks for the offer, Dimmy. The thing is, I just learned that Air gave birth to everything."

"What?"

"Alright. You see, the Air, or Wind, is the Thoughts of Avá. Avá created the world with her Thoughts. She was asleep, you see, Dimmy, and then she thought, and the Wind is her Thoughts, and it brought about everything. I don't want to be the product of Wind!" Mimi wailed. "Wind makes your hair all messy."

Dimentio had been slowly getting an idea of what was going on. He finally understood when Mimi said for the second time that Wind was Avá's Thoughts. Dimentio slowly nodded, then got off of the couch and knelt in front of her. "Mimi," he said, "that's just a story. Wind didn't create everything. There is no supreme being named Avá. And her Thoughts aren't the Wind. That's all a story for the fantasy world Santharia. It's not real." Dimentio got up off his knees, then patted Mimi on the shoulder. He teleported out, leaving Mimi to watch the CragVision.

* * *

Count Bleck was floating through the foyer of Castle Bleck, humming to himself. A voice said "Excuse me, Count." The Count was startled. He turned to find Dimentio floating behind him.

"Would you kindly not startle the Count, Dimentio? It would be greatly appreciated."

"Count," Dimentio said seriously. "I think we need to cancel Mimi's subscription to the InterNed Service."

A/N: I can see a few people scratching their heads. So I'll explain. Santharia is a fantasy world on the Internet. Here is the entry from UrbanDictionary: "Santharia is a large and growing community of people from around the globe that work together to form a great fantasy world in the style of JRR Tolkien. All works and entries on the website are done by real people. With endless details, history, images drawn by artists, and even a free role playing area, Santharia is one of the greatest achievements of the internet."

So, in this fantasy world, there is a race of elves that believes that Avá, the High Elven Goddess, created the world in her sleep. The Wind is her Thoughts, and from the Wind sprang all things physical and spiritual. I'm not saying that I believe it, or that I participate in Santharia. I just found it when searching for ideas for this prompt, and it fit perfectly.

The 'InterNed Service' is basically the Mario version of the Internet. This is not canon, and I have no idea if the Mario world even has the Internet. I know they have email-type stuff, from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, but beyond that, I have no clue. Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you have time, check out my newest one-shot, _Finding the Meaning of Friend_, where you'll find my reason for not updating sooner.


	55. Spirit

055: Spirit

Bylta Vatn was, in theory, a very wet place. But theory and reality are often different. There is a place in Bylta Vatn, far away from the seas and oceans, where one can find sand. Coarse sand, fine sand, large rocks being turned into sand, all can be found there. This place is widely agreed to be the driest place in the dimensions, at least by those who know of it.

This ocean of sand is one of the more mysterious places of Bylta Vatn. Legends about it tell of an empire that covered the entire desert. Suddenly, it vanished. Nothing was left. The empire had been lost, and the great riches said to be there had gone as well. Archeologists have tried to find this empire, but even small traces have eluded them. That was why Count Bleck was so eager to find it. The fame and money from such a find would pay his heating bills for thirty years.

Dimentio had been searching through the sand dunes for the better part of a day, and he was getting annoyed at the lack of progress. He began shaping the sand into a model of the Court of Ancients, when a gold object fell by Dimentio's feet.

He was intrigued, and picked up the object, the sand sculpture falling apart as he did so. The object was shaped much like an antique candlestick, with a hole in the top. Dimentio began polishing it. Once there was no more sand on it, he tossed it in the air and caught it.

When it touched Dimentio's hand, the candlestick began to shake. Dimentio dropped the stick, and a vapor poured out of the hole. The vapor swirled and coalesced into a figure. It was a man, quite similar to Mario, but larger and wearing a vest and baggy canvas pants.

"What is your first wish, Master?" the man boomed.

"What?" Dimentio asked.

"You get three wishes. Not two, or four. Five is RIGHT OUT!"

"Three wishes? Hmm. Who are you? I wish to know."

The man laughed, and leapt into the air. "I am Salgen, Ancient Genie of the Deserted Empire! I am at your beck and call! You've never had a friend like me!"

Dimentio rolled his eyes. He'd dealt with genies before, including a particularly attractive female djinn who wanted to be his wife. Naturally, Dimentio had sent her away, chasing after the fabled 'Star of Dimentio.' He hadn't seen her since, but he was happy. This Salgen fellow, though, could be useful.

"What is your second wish?" Salgen bellowed.

"Uncover the Deserted Empire, and put the sand in a void. That is my second wish."

"As you command!" Salgen threw his arms out, and all the sand was gone, revealing a vast expanse of ruined building made of granite and slate. Gold and silver glinted in the sunlight, and mounds of gems were visible in the distance.

"My third wish is for you to be free and leave me alone," Dimentio called to Salgen. The genie froze, then flew away, yelling in delight.

"Dimentio, how goes the searching, asked Count Bleck," Count Bleck asked, appearing next to Dimentio.

"I have found the Deserted Empire."

"How?" Count Bleck was astounded. He looked around.

Dimentio picked up the candlestick and handed it to Count Bleck. "I, like a small kindergartner doing calculus, had some help."

"Where is this help?"

Dimentio shrugged. "It was a liability."

A/N: Man, you don't know how good it is to be back with a chapter of 100 Days. Unless, of course, you do. Anyway, I finally broke that block sitting on this story and wrote this chapter. It's very nice to be working on a long story and not a one-shot, like I've been doing lately. Word association really helped with this idea.

Well, onto the good stuff. There are exactly three references to other stories. Two are movie references, and the other is a really obscure book reference. The book reference is from the series 'A Wizard in Rhyme' by Christopher Stasheff.

Speaking of three, this is the third time Bylta Vatn has been the setting for a chapter! That may be the most times of any fan-place. Well, I'll let you go now, and hopefully this means I'll be updating more often.


	56. Breakfast

056: Breakfast

Nastasia had a headache. Actually, make that TWO headaches. One was turning steadily into a migraine. The other was holding her hand. The first was a normal headache, but the second had a name. Its name was Mimi.

Before we continue, let's see what happened to get here. Turn the clock back about three hours. KA-CHA!

Through the magic of writing, we have gone three hours into the past, where Nastasia is eating breakfast. She had a bagel, cream cheese, and a fried egg on her plate. It was extremely quiet. That was the way Nastasia liked it.

She was planning on going out to the Sammer Kingdom's market to pick up some groceries. It was supposed to be a simple affair. Get in, buy the stuff, get out. That's what Nastasia thought. But it changed quite quickly.

Count Bleck came down the stairs and entered the kitchen. "Your food's over on the stove, Count," Nastasia said and pointed without looking up from her list.

"Ah! Five grain waffles!" Count Bleck exclaimed. "Oh, Count Bleck remembered, will you take Mimi with you today?"

"Hmmm? Wait, what? If Mimi comes, she'll drag the trip! Instead of ten minutes, it'll be at least three hours!"

"Nevertheless," Count Bleck said. "I have an important meeting today, and with Mr L, Dimentio, and O'Chunks out procuring various things, you will need to take Mimi."

"But... 'k."

Through some more magic, we watch three hours go by in seven seconds. Can you imagine how tiring it would be to shop while dragging Mimi along? There's the migraine. Hey, time's slowing down again. Here we go. KA-CHA!

"And did you see that rotten watermelon, Nassie?"

"Yes."

"And that ugly guy selling fruitcakes?"

"Yes."

"What about that-" Nastasia clapped her hand over Mimi's mouth. She grabbed a box of Sugar Loops from a nearby vendor and gave the box to Mimi. Nastasia paid the vendor and walked away, Mimi following behind, stuffing the cereal into her mouth.

About ten minutes later, Nastasia was browsing the assorted oranges when she heard a thump. She turned to find Mimi on the ground, unconscious. Nastasia rolled her eyes and continued shopping.

A/N: Ahhhhh... It feels so good to write! Anyway, here's another installment of 100 Days. First off, I actually had different plans for this. In the original 'finished' version, Mimi never fell into a sugar coma. But it was just too awesome to pass up. Don't worry; Mimi was all right. Nastasia was able to get her home.


	57. Lunch

057: Lunch

_Rrrowwl_. Dimentio looked around. "What was that unusual sound?" _RRRRRrrrowwwllll._

"Hee-hee!" Mimi giggled. "Dimmy, your stomach's rumbling!"

Dimentio's eyes widened. That's what it was. "Of course not, Mimi. That is simply the sound of the castle termites. When in a castle such as ours, they grow much like a fat man's salad. Then they start 'growling,' and five days later, the castle collapses."

"There's no such thing as castle termites," Mimi declared.

"Very well. It is on your head if the castle falls down." Dimentio floated off in the direction of the kitchen.

* * *

_Hmmm hm hm hmmmm-hmmm_. Dimentio hummed the Flint Cragley theme as he searched through the extremely large fridge in the kitchen. On the counter next to him was a pile of sandwich makings, including Muth slices, tomatoes, onions, spicy rock mushroom slices, and organic Floro Sapien leaves. Dimentio placed the bread he had just found on the counter, then went back to rooting around in the fridge.

"Where is the marinara sauce? Aha, there it is." Dimentio pulled the jar out, closed the fridge, and began to make his sandwich.

He started humming the _Crag Chef Challenge_ theme as he spread the marinara on his bread, then piled on the Muth, tomatoes, onions, mushroom, and Floro Sapien leaves in short order. The other piece of bread was squashed onto the sandwich, and, after grabbing a bottle of Chuckola Cola, Dimentio migrated to the table.

Dimentio was about to tuck into his sandwich when Count Bleck appeared. "Dimentio, you still have not given Nastasia your post-mission report, chided Count Bleck."

"Ah, my good Count. I am sorry about that. Here it is," Dimentio said while reaching into thin air and pulling out a sheaf of papers. Count Bleck took the report and tucked it under his cloak.

"You also have not given Count Bleck an answer about whether you plan to participate in the First Annual Castle Bleck Cook-Off," Count Bleck reminded Dimentio.

"I plan to tell you now. I will cook in this 'Cook-Off.'"

Count Bleck opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by the sounds of chewing. He and Dimentio turned to see O'Chunks finishing off Dimentio's sandwich.

"Could 'ave used mair mushrooms," O'Chunks commented, then lumbered off.

"My... sandwich..." Dimentio whispered.

A/N: I just couldn't resist this. What would Dimentio actually do if someone stole his sandwich? I suspect he would blast them away, but this lent itself better to comedy. OH MY GOODNESS, I LOVED WRITING THIS!

By the way, this is dedicated to TwilightShadowMistress, who I believe reviewed for the first time last chapter, and couldn't wait to see what I'd cook up (pun intended.) Who will I dedicate a chapter to next?

By the way, this would have been up yesterday, but wouldn't let me log in. It was quite annoying.


	58. Dinner

058: Dinner

"When will it end?"

Bowser, if you recall, had caught Nonflammas Vox. Not only did it stop his fire breath, but his throat ached abominably. It felt as though Mario had shoved a Spiny down his mouth. He had had to survive on a diet of fluids.

"It's been five days!" Bowser whined. "I'm sick of this!"

Bowser's chamberlain staggered up to the Koopa King, holding a large bowl of Life Shroom Soup. "Here is your dinner, Lord Bowser," the chamberlain gasped.

The Koopa King glanced at the bowl. His ears began to smoke, his nostrils flared, and a fire blazed in his eyes. "I AM SICK AND TIRED OF SOUP!" Bowser bellowed. He picked the bowl up and threw it against the wall. Shards of ceramic flew everywhere, and soup dripped down the wall.

Bowser turned to the chamberlain. The chamberlain wisely fled, leaving Bowser to destroy the throne room.

* * *

The chamberlain collapsed into a chair in the kitchen. The cook looked over at him.

"You look beat, Chamberlain."

The chamberlain sighed. "Lord Bowser went nuts. Threw the bowl against the wall, and was in the process of destroying the throne as I left."

The cook was confused. "Did Lord Bowser not like the soup?"

A/N: Haha, I told you that you had to wait to see what happened! Anyway, here's the sequel to 'Fire.' I thought it turned out quite well. The cook's reaction is a typical (I think) reaction of clueless cooks. Obviously Bowser has gotten tired of having to drink soup all the time. This was actually originally slated for 'Lunch,' but got moved back.


	59. Food

059: Food

"Dimentio?"

"What is it, Mr L?"

"Have you seen Mimi?"

"No, I haven't seen-"

"Haha! I found you, Mr L!"

"Ack!"

"Oh, sorry, Dimmy. Mr L, eat mashed potatoes!"

"I CAN'T SEE!"

"You two are pathetic. You remind me of angry Tyrannosaurs fighting over a scrawny bit of meat."

"Hey! I take offense at that!"

"Just because you have low self-esteem..."

"Mimi, you look good with cranberry sauce on your face."

"My dress!"

"Well, well. You can actually be evil, my green friend."

"Arr! Why are ye wastin' food like this?"

"He started it!"

"What? Mimi, don't go blaming me!"

"But you're so blameable."

"Blameable? Is that a word? Dimentio, is it?"

"Yes, blameable is indeed a word."

"Ah dinnae care if blammable is a word! Yer wastin' food!"

"Sorry, Chunkie."

"Ah was going to make a meat pie, too."

"Man! Mimi, see what you did!"

"Louie!"

"Louie?"

"Yeah. You don't have a nickname yet!"

"I believe we are getting off subject."

"Oh, that's right. Thanks, Dimentio. Mimi! We wasted O'Chunks's meat pie makings!"

"It wasn't my fault you started that food fight, Elly!"

"Elly? Really?"

"Now I have a headache. Good luck, O'Chunks."

"Eh! Ye cannae leave me here with these two!"

"It's your meat pie they ruined."

"It's your fault!"

"Nuh-uh!"

A/N: So, having had three prompts about food previously, I thought my well of food-related creativity was dried up. BUT IT WAS NOT! From a suggestion by a family member, I came to the obvious conclusion that any fourth grader would have thought of. A FOOD FIGHT! HAHA! And what better way to do it than with an all-dialogue story? That's what I thought, too.

Anyway, since this was an all-dialogue, I tried to distinguish the four characters as well as possible, through speech patterns and names. I hope it was easy to tell who was talking when; it was a bit hard for me, and I was writing it! Ah, well. Here's a quick guide, based on the lines: Mr L, Dimentio, Mr L, Dimentio, Mimi, D, Mimi, ML, D, ML, Mimi, ML, Mimi, D, O'Chunks, Mimi, ML, Mimi, ML, D, OC, Mimi, OC, ML, Mimi, ML, Mimi, D, ML, Mimi, ML, D, OC, D, ML, Mimi. Man, I hope that's correct, because I am not rewriting it.

Hey! It's time for special features! First off, I have decided that after I finish the prompts in the list, I will continue with other random prompts. It's lots of fun to write this, so there you go. Also, a bit more about how I see characters. Mr L and Mimi have an interesting relationship. I imagine them as the fraternal twins of the minions. Dimentio doesn't much care for Mr L, but I suspect he would respect Mr L if he had more self-esteem. Maybe I'll say more later, but this note is getting rather long. One last thing: Mr L does not have a nickname. He needs one. Mimi will figure it out, though.


	60. Drink

060: Drink

"You find the small town of Dramsburg. It is a quaint place, with many small houses," Dimentio narrated. "Chunks, you're the leader. What do you do?"

"We look for a tavern," O'Chunks declared.

"Man, why do we always have to look for the taverns?" Mr L complained.

Ignoring Mr L, Dimentio glanced at a piece of paper. "There are two in town: The Clockwork, and the Happy Hour Tavern. The Happy Hour Tavern is overly colorful, looking more like a child's fantasy than a tavern for adventurers."

"Let's go there!" Mimi exclaimed.

"You enter the Happy Hour Tavern."

"Arrgh! Why do ah let ye choose so often, miss?" O'Chunks groaned.

"I see a beautiful lady and saunter over to her," Mr L said, completely forgetting his earlier gripes.

Mimi snickered.

"I then ask if I can buy her a drink," Mr L said loudly.

"Hmm." Dimentio rolled a die. "She accepts."

"While we're here, ah might as well ask the bartender aboot the Ruins of Ra'Nu," O'Chunks decided.

"The bartender is a scrawny, untrustworthy looking fellow," Dimentio informed O'Chunks. "But he's willing to talk to you, provided you buy yourself a beverage."

"What can I do?" Mimi asked.

"Yer coming with me, miss."

Dimentio rolled a couple of dice, marking down the rolls on a paper. "The lady you're talking with, Lousi, gives the bartender a wink. The bartender pulls out a sword and brandishes it at Chunks. Lousi, the woman grabs you and puts you in a full nelson. Meanwhile, thirteen dwarves with axes rush out of a back door and surround all three of you. One of the dwarves threatens you all by placing his ax by Princess Butterspoon's neck and saying 'If any av yer move, de lassy gets it.'"

"What the heck did we do?" Mr L yelled.

"Apparently it's against the law for foreigners to waltz into the Happy Hour Tavern, start asking suspicious questions, and buy an innocent lady a drink. The woman is actually a high-ranking official in Dramsburg, and the bartender is her husband. They haven't had any prisoners for twenty-two years," Dimentio explained.

"I think you made those up, Dimentio," Mr L accused.

"I did."

"Maybe you shouldn't be buying strange ladies drinks, huh?" Mimi suggested.

"We are never stopping in any tavern again, O'Chunks!"

A/N: Hmm. I'm not quite sure what got into me. Ah, well. Anyway, the gang's playing _Dimensions and Dragons_, an adventure role-playing game. O'Chunks is a half-orc warrior named Chunks, Mr L is an elvish ranger named Lousi, and Mimi is a gnome illusionist named (shudder) Princess Butterspoon Rubee Rainbow Sherbet III. Dimentio is the Game Master. Any bets on how long it takes me to get them out?

Fun fact: I have played exactly _one_ game of Dungeons and Dragons. I played an elvish ranger named Aramil Sumenor. He was pretty awesome. I think he died about four times.


	61. Winter

061: Winter

Dimentio was just about to start eating a wonderful sandwich when Mr L entered the kitchen. "Why does my calendar say 'Winter Solstice?'"

Sighing, Dimentio put his sandwich back on the table. "It is December 22, the shortest day of the year."

"Why is it so important that the calendar people put it on the calendar?" Mr L asked.

"The history of the Solstice is important enough to warrant such a blatant misuse of space," Dimentio replied, picking his sandwich up and taking a large bite.

"Ahh." Mr L glanced at the calendar. "What is the history?"

"Ah. That is something I do not know," Dimentio mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.

"That is something Count Bleck can answer, said Count Bleck." Count Bleck looked up from where he had been sitting for the entire conversation. "The Winter Solstice was the day the druidic folk of O'Chunks's native land had their largest festival. They would celebrate the woodland and nature deities. Now, it is the day the neo-druids associate with being closest to the ancient druids. They 'receive' instruction from the ancients."

"So they're insane?" Mr L questioned.

"The calendar people? Or the neo-druids? asked Count Bleck."

"Either."

"They both are."

"Good enough." Mr L left the kitchen.

Dimentio glanced at Count Bleck. "My dear Count, you know quite a bit."

"Of course. I was once a Neo-Druid."

"Are you being serious, Count?"

Count Bleck's reply was cut off by Mimi, who ran into the kitchen yelling, "IT'S SNOWING!"

A/N: I'm listening to KK Slider at this precise moment. He's awesome.

Well, that was interesting. That chapter didn't exactly go as planned. In fact, Mimi only showed up because I COULD NOT END THIS THING! Nothing I had the Count say sounded good. Oh well. I also did actual research. _GASP!_ I could have sworn I had read somewhere about the druids celebrating something on the Winter Solstice. I couldn't find it. But there really are Neo-Druids. It's somewhat strange, actually.

I've always thought druids were interesting, especially the ones in books and Dungeons and Dragons.


	62. Spring

062: Spring

"I do not see the point of this contraption." This comment was, not surprisingly, coming from Dimentio. The surprising thing was that O'Chunks agreed.

"Aye. All ye do is go up an' down."

What was the object of their criticism? Well, Nastasia had pulled a favor at the begging- no, more like pleading- of Mimi. Now Castle Bleck had a very large trampoline.

"C'mon, Dimmy!" Mimi shouted as she flew into the air. "Get on!"

"No thank you," Dimentio replied. "I would most likely get sick and have to go to the doctor."

"Aye. Tha's what would happen."

Dimentio turned to O'Chunks. "Why are you agreeing with me, O'Chunks? We hardly agree on anything. We make it a point to _not_ agree on anything."

"Ah dislike tha' unusual contraption. The way it throws the miss into the air is unnatural."

"Are you concerned about something else? It is not the heaving into the air that bothers you," Dimentio asked.

"Eh, well, ah, um, ah fear that ah would break the contraption," O'Chunks muttered.

A/N: When you have the physique of O'Chunks, this is a real problem. I would know.

ANYWAY, I've realized a few things. One, I never said what The Great Allie said about my usage of her universe. SHE SAID YES! I was so ecstatic when I heard that. Then, she put this story on her favorites. To say that I was happy is an understatement. Then today I realized that while this takes place in her universe, I've forgotten one of the central characters: Tippi. Tippi has only appeared in two chapters to date, both chapters being ones taking place before or during Super Paper Mario. I intend to change that. Gotta remember to put her in more stories. Anyway, sayonara, I'm off!


	63. Summer

063: Summer

"The truth, Dredgeworth? He can't handle the truth!" Phoenix Kight shouted.

"Yeah! Tell 'em, Kight!" Mimi cheered.

"My head aches," Mr L moaned. "Mimi, you've seen this episode a thousand times. Can't we watch _UltraMan_ instead?"

"_UltraMan_ only has reruns, L," Mimi replied. "_Phoenix Kight: Ace Defender_ has new episodes every Wednesday. I gotta be prepared!"

"By watching all the past episodes? Every time?"

"Yes. Now shhhh!"

"OBJECTION!" Dredgeworth interrupted Kight.

"I wonder what Dimentio's up to," Mr L said as he left the room. "Stupid reruns."

A/N: Mr L would rather hang out with Dimentio than watch reruns. Can't say I blame him. Anyway, I've been getting into Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney with my _ahem_ borrowed ROM on my computer. I never had problems with reruns, actually. I never was much of a TV Show watcher. So it really never messed up my summers.


	64. Autumn

064: Autumn/Fall

_Summer rolls on into autumn,  
And I see no reason why,  
I should take up thirty columns  
In this book for poetry._

_But, alas, my fears are grounded,  
In reality, in truth.  
For this morning Mimi dared me,  
_"_Write an epic poem, Dimmy!"_

_I of course refused quite bluntly,  
Like a youth sent roomward bound.  
My reply, "No I shall not"  
Fell upon deaf ears of green._

_Now I sit, in silence bearing  
Resentment for that childlike girl.  
I shall show her what I can do,  
This one will make Homer cry._

_Why must leaves fall to the ground,  
When they just as soon would fly?  
The golden glows, the scarlet sheens  
Put rainbow trout to shame._

_It was in one such autumn,  
a man strode from his house.  
He laughed a booming laugh,  
Which caused the crows to cry._

"_Be silent, you ignoble man!  
The Sun sleeps still away!  
Yet you would have it rise too soon,  
When it is not quite day!"_

_The man replied, "Oh foolish crows,  
You know not what ye speak!  
The Sun is late, four minutes now,  
And she must surely wake."_

_The Sun, she rose, twixt orange rows,  
Of oaken leaves so old.  
A yawn she gave, then fought to save,  
Her face from man so cold._

_His stony look pierced deep her soul,  
She hung her head in shame.  
He held the gaze two seconds more,  
Then clapped her on the back._

"_Dear Sun, dear Sun,  
Do not feel bad..._

Dimentio's head fell into his hands. "What nonsensical drivel is that? It is like what a dazed Cragnon would write." He dashed out the last half-stanza, threw the pen onto his desk, and walked over to his window.

The view outside the window was rather dull, what with the constant purple sky of the Void. Dimentio did not see that, though. He saw the fair beauty of a world he had once lived in. He saw the trees, with their many hues of fall, standing tall. He also saw Mereliah, the one he had loved, sitting under one of those trees.

Autumn. That was when he had lost her. Dimentio remembered the day all too vividly. She had turned her back on him, running away into the cold worlds. He remembered the searching, the aching.

Then, another memory pushed itself into place. Dimentio recalled the morning that Mimi had run into his bedroom, asking if they were friends. When she had skipped off, he had felt something. That was the first time since Mereliah had left that he had felt true happiness. It was a rather strange experience for one who had been taken by the darkness. But... that moment. That moment was special. Dimentio smiled, a true smile, not a sadistic smile. He returned to his notebook and flipped the page.

Dimentio finally realized what he had been ignoring all along. Mereliah was gone, but in her place were... friends. Friends he wouldn't trade for anything. He began to write once more.

_In the garden we often roamed,  
conversing, you and I.  
It took some time before we saw,  
That love had found its way in..._

Yes. That would do.

A/N: Hey, look at that! It's a chapter! It's better than it originally was going to be. I originally had Dimentio sitting under a tree, cursing fate for taking Mereliah away, then feeling better after a talk with Mother Autumn. I actually can't remember the original idea very well. Suffice it to say I like this much better. I rather like poetry. I just don't use it often enough. Timewise, this takes place after the Chaos Heart fiasco.

Any questions? Feel free to ask!

Bonus: Sometime I'll write up Dimentio's entire poem and post it.


	65. Passing

065: Passing

Count Bleck looked out a window of Castle Bleck. The object of his attention was a group of small figures on the ground. They actually were not truly small. They were just far away.

Using a magical thing called _perspective change_, we will center in on those figures. And what do you know! It's Dimentio, O'Chunks, Mimi, and Mr L.

The four minions were playing football. O'Chunks had probably convinced the others to join him. Mimi, at least, didn't seem like she was having much fun. Dimentio appeared to be his normal self. And Mr L? He was having the time of his life. Figuratively speaking, of course.

"Ah am coming for yeh," O'Chunks bellowed, running after Mr L. The green-clad fellow glanced over his shoulder.

"I don't think so!" Mr L shouted. He passed the football backwards, straight into Dimentio's waiting grasp.

"Hey, no fair!" Mimi yelled. "You can't do that!"

"Of course you can! You're just a sore loser," Mr L retorted as Dimentio floated over the imaginary goal line. "What is it, forty-five to three?"

"That was only because O'Chunks kicked a field goal," Dimentio commented, tossing the ball to Mr L. "And it almost missed. A dying duck would have been ashamed."

"EH! Ah'll 'ave yeh ken that kick was nae shameful!" O'Chunks argued.

"Never mind that," Mr L cut in. "I'm kicking off." He did just that. The ball went flying in a beautiful arc, landing in Mimi's outstretched arms.

"Me?" Mimi exclaimed. "Yeah! True Mimi, come forth!" Crrrchk.

I'm not going to describe this part.

"Oh, great," Mr L groaned, even as he fell over backwards. _Thump_. He was out.

Dimentio halfheartedly tried to stop Mimi, but she bowled him over, inadvertently knocking him out.

"YEAH! Take that, meanies!" Mimi let out a war cry.

"Ah dinnae know if we win or not," O'Chunks muttered. "But there's nae stopping the wee lass."

Mimi changed back into the little girl we all know and love, and continued running over the goal line. She didn't notice when O'Chunks left to get a sandwich, or when Mr L got back up, or when true night came. And then she was bitten by a weresquig.

Just kidding.

A/N: I had started writing on a different story (hopefully will be ready to publish soon,) when I decided to work on this. And I opened a document, wrote the header, and thought, "Football. Duh." That's my largely uneventful story about this story.

IN OTHER NEWS, I have another story in the works. I know, it's a big shocker. But, I believe it'll be awesome. It will be... different. Hopefully it works out well. Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you've got time, go check out the Pokemon Chrome Facebook page. It's a fan-game I'm working on with my friends. Thanks for being willing to listen to my shameless plug. Goodnight!


	66. Rain

066: Rain

Rain was a very uncommon occurrence in Dimension Bleck. In fact, there had never been rain in Dimension Bleck before this particular day. Count Bleck and Nastasia blamed the uprise in dimensional activity around Dimension Bleck- in particular, the increase in minions teleporting back and forth.

Mimi didn't care; she didn't even understand what the Count was talking about when he talked with Nastasia. She was just excited to see rain. Mimi had never seen rain before.

She was sitting in the front room of Castle Bleck, watching the rain fall from the dark sky and hit the puddles that had formed. Dimentio entered the room and, upon seeing Mimi there, immediately turned to leave. Mimi stopped him.

"Hey, Dimentio? What's rain?"

"Well, my fair Mimi, rain is water that falls from the sky."

"Golly, why does it fall from the sky?"

Dimentio made to reply, then stopped and smiled a devious smile, for he had thought of a way to mess with Mimi's mind.

"Dear Mimi, the answer to that question is obvious. Rain falls because it is the tears of the sky falling."

Mimi thought about this, then asked, "Why is the sky crying?"

Dimentio was ready for this. "The sky is crying because you drank all the Fresh Juice and didn't leave any for the rest of us."

Dimentio was unprepared for Mimi's reaction to this. She threw her arms into the air in panic and started wailing.

"I'm really, really sorry, Mr Sky!" Mimi ran out of the room and ran into Count Bleck.

"Count Bleck asks what is wrong, Mimi," Count Bleck said.

"I'm sorry for taking all the Fresh Juice and making the sky cry!" Mimi cried into Count Bleck's cape.

Count Bleck gently removed Mimi from his cape and handed her a tissue. "Dimentio?"

Dimentio poked his head out of the room. "Yes?" he asked.

"Did you tell Mimi that the sky was sad she took all the Fresh Juice?" Count Bleck asked.

Dimentio nodded.

"Apologize, please."

Dimentio came out of the room and hovered over Mimi's head.

"I am sorry for feeding you false information, dear Mimi."

Mimi continued crying. Dimentio shrugged.

"I tried, my Count. Ciao." Dimentio snapped and teleported.

Mimi looked up; her face was completely clean. There were no tear streaks. Count Bleck looked surprised.

"He's gone?" Mimi asked. Count Bleck nodded.

"He is gone, Mimi. Why were you pretending to cry, Count Bleck asks."

"The meanie was trying to insult me, I think. I wanted to get him back," Mimi explained.

Count Bleck nodded in understanding.

A/N: There's a story or an anecdote that I've heard where the parent or someone tells the inquiring child that rain is the sky crying about what the kid has done. I suppose that that was what was going through my head when I wrote this. As with 'Snow,' I wrote this author's note way after writing the story.


	67. Snow

067: Snow

"Eh, ah tell yeh, this cold, white stuff is abominable," O'Chunks grumbled, wading through the knee-deep snow of Freezefraem Mount. Mimi giggled.

"Golly, Chunkie, I think it's pretty. Why don't you like it?"

"Because ah have to walk through it, missy. Ye get tah ride on me shoulders, whilst ah walk. 'Tis a hard life, te be sure."

Mimi giggled again. O'Chunks kept grumbling as he walked towards a house in the middle of the scene.

_Smack! _A snowball flew through the air and hit Mimi, knocking her off of O'Chunks's burly shoulders.

"Hey! Who did that?" Mimi yelled, picking herself up off the ground. She stood neck-deep in the snow.

Dimentio floated over to the duo and dusted something off his hands. "Oh, dear Mimi. Has someone hit you with a snowball?"

"Yes! Was it you?" Mimi asked, eyeing Dimentio warily.

"Me?" Dimentio laughed. "Why would you think such a thing of me? I am innocent. My hands, though, worked without my permission and flung a well-crafted sphere of frozen water at you."

"What? What did- Hey! You did throw that snowball at me! Meanie! Take this!" Mimi chucked a snowball at Dimentio, hitting him in his right eye. Dimentio did a backflip due to the force and fell a few inches. He glared at Mimi. Mimi glared back at him. O'Chunks glared at the snow.

"You have incurred my wrath," Dimentio proclaimed, holding up a newly-made snowball.

"You're a big meanie, Dimentio," Mimi said, holding up her own snowball.

"Minions! Count Bleck has arrived," Count Bleck announced, coming up from behind Dimentio. Dimentio and Mimi hastily dropped their snowballs.

"Ah! Count! Nice to see you!" Mimi squeaked.

"I did not expect to see you so soon, my Count," Dimentio said.

"What is going on here, minions?" Count Bleck asked.

"Nothing!" Mimi and Dimentio said together.

"If you are sure... Well then, onward to the target!" Count Bleck led the way to the house.

"Good-fer-nothin' snow," O'Chunks grumbled.

A/N: Forgot to put an author's note on this when I wrote it, so here it is. Anyway, I've liked the idea of Dimentio and Mimi having a snowball fight for quite a while. I can just imagine this happening.


	68. Lightning

068: Lightning

"I believe this is the most asinine idea you have produced so far, Mimi," Dimentio commented.

"Shush! The Lightning Thief is supposed to be quiet right now!"

"You in front of the computational device are probably wondering what is going on," Dimentio said. Mimi gave him a confused glance. "Somehow Mimi got it into her head that she was going to be a playwright. She conscripted all of Count Bleck's minions to be in her play."

"I'm pretty sure nobody's listening, Dimentio," Mr L told him.

"SILENCE, PEOPLE!" Mimi shouted. "THREE, TWO, ONE, ACTION!"

Dimentio rolled his eyes. He felt ridiculous. A large cardboard lightning bolt was in his hand, and he wore a bright neon pink vest. Mr L wasn't any better. Purple bellbottoms, an orange button-up, and an epileptic plaid blazer made up his ensemble. O'Chunks hobbled across the stage in his normal outfit.

"Eh, lass, Ah cannae be the poor beggar. Ah twisted me ankle."

"Lucky," Mr L muttered.

"Sure you can! PLACES! ACTION!"

Mr L began walking across the stage. "Ah, yes. Today I have made three million dollars. All at the expense of my foe, the Lightning-"

"CUT!" Mimi hollered. "More enthusiasm! More swagger! More _je ne sais pas_! AGAIN!"

Beginning to walk across the stage once more, Mr L managed to put a small swagger in his step. "Ah, yes. Today I have made THREE MILLION DOLLARS! All at the expense of my foe, the Lightning Thief! AH ha ha!"

Dimentio floated towards Mr L, mentally plotting to get Mimi back. "Ah-ha. It is you, Misplaced-Century-Man. You stole three million dollars from me today, as well as my honor. What have-"

"CUT! That was horrid, Dimmy! You gotta feel it, right here," Mimi declared, thumping her chest. "FROM THE TOP!"

Mr L repeated his performance. "Ah, yessssss. Today I made THREE MILLION DOLLARS! And it was all at the expense of my mortal foe, the Lightning Thief! AH HA HA HA!"

Mimi was nodding, obviously enjoying Mr L's embellishment. Dimentio took the stage, and, floating towards Mr L, began his part. "AH! It is YOU, Misplaced-Century-Man! You STOLE THREE MILLIONS DOLLARS from me today, AS WELL AS my honor! What have you to say for yourself? Or shall I beat you with my ill-gotten Bolt of Thievery?"

Being prodded forward by Mimi, O'Chunks hobbled towards Mr L and Dimentio. "Eh, sirs, please spare a penny? Ah'm down on me luck, and dinnae where to go!"

The two squabbling actors turned to O'Chunks. In unison they shouted, "GET OFF, BEGGAR!"

O'Chunks moved away, murmuring under his breath. Mimi jumped up and clapped. "That was PERFECT! I'm calling Broadway!"

"Oh, please no..." Mr L whispered.

* * *

Two days later, Dimentio and Mr L were eating lunch when Mimi skipped into the kitchen. "Broadway accepted it!" she shrieked. "We're gonna be famous!"

Mr L's head fell onto the table. He moaned. Dimentio, on the other hand, decided to do everything he could to sabotage 'The Lightning Rebate.' He started by throwing some of his scrambled eggs at Mimi.

A/N: If I recall correctly, this idea came from the thunderbird, a bird supposedly able to wink lightning bolts. Dimentio was going to be the thunderbird, then it mutated in that strange, writerly way into this. It was rather fun to write, I must say. I hope you enjoyed it!


	69. Thunder

069: Thunder

_BOOOOM!_

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"Ooof!"

What are these three sounds? Well, the first should be obvious. It was a thunderclap. Somehow, Dimension Bleck had drifted into an interdimensional thunderstorm. Most everyone was asleep, except for Mimi. That was the second sound. The third sound was Dimentio being jumped on by the terrified Mimi.

"Mimi!" Dimentio exclaimed, once he had gotten his breath back. Realizing he had temporarily become frantic, he composed himself enough to say, "May I ask what you are doing here, on my bed, quivering like a frightened dog?"

"Th-th-th-thunder..." Mimi stammered, hiding under Dimentio's blanket.

"Is that all?" Dimentio asked. He tried to pluck his blanket off of Mimi but ended up just holding her in the air.

"Yeah..." Mimi trailed off, eyes shut tight. She was clutching the blanket, shaking in fear.

Dimentio shook his head. "Really? Go to sleep, then." He attempted to shake her off the blanket, but she hung on.

"Nuh-uh. That thunder is scary!"

Suddenly pausing his shaking, Dimentio stared in Mimi's general direction. She had flown off the blanket when he stopped shaking, and was climbing back on the bed. "You are scared of the thunder?" Dimentio's voice was incredulous.

"Uh-huh."

"That makes no sense. You've seen worse things, haven't you? What about when you thought the Count had died?"

Mimi slowly shook her head. "I wasn't scared of thunder until Mr L made up that story about the Thunder Demon this afternoon."

"Oh. Okay."

"Can I stay here? Please, Dimentio?"

What caught Dimentio's attention more than the plea was the usage of his real name, and not a nickname. He looked down at Mimi, and saw a little girl who needed help against the unknown terrors.

"Sure." Mimi brightened up. She helped Dimentio smooth out his blanket, then crawled under it next to him.

"Dimmy?"

There it was: his nickname. She was feeling better. "Yes?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

"Uh..." Dimentio was caught off-guard. "Um, yes."

"What is the story about?" Mimi asked.

Dimentio racked his brain, feeling lost until he remembered a story the Ancients told. "It's about Thunder," he told Mimi.

"NO!"

"Calm down. It's a good story," Dimentio chided. "Now, let's see. Thunder was a small girl. One day, she went walking in the woods. She came across a group of bandits in a clearing. Having nothing better to do, she listened to the bandits."

"What did she hear?"

"She heard the bandits talking about a plan. They were going to steal all the people away that were outside. Thunder was horrified. She ran back to her village, shouting, 'Go inside! Go inside!' The people, hearing her voice, locked themselves inside their houses. But Thunder was left outside."

Mimi gasped. "Did she get stolen?"

Dimentio nodded. "Yes. Thunder was stolen away by the bandits. As the bandits were charging through the woods, Thunder began to shout. Her voice was so powerful that the bandits were stunned. She ran from them, and in doing so, got lost. Thunder wandered for a long time, until she came across a ball of light.

"The ball of light approached her, and she asked it what it was. The ball of light responded that it was the light of the storms. It was searching, the light said, for a voice to warn beings of the dangers of the storm. 'I heard your voice,' the light said. 'You are the voice I was looking for.'

"The light asked her if she would be the voice of the storm. Thunder thought for a minute, and then agreed. Now she warns people to get to shelter whenever there is a storm. She is the Thunder."

Having finished, Dimentio looked at Mimi. Her eyes were half-closed. "So, the Thunder is a little girl? Like me?" she asked drowsily.

"Yes," Dimentio answered.

Mimi smiled. "The thunder isn't so scary anymore, Dimmy," she commented. "Thanks."

Dimentio watched her eyes close, and her breathing become regular. "Of course," he whispered. A small smile showed itself. "It was a pleasure."

A/N: This was another spur-of-the-moment things. I was thinking for approximately two seconds and then said to myself, "Duh." Thus, this story was born. I really love how this turned out. The situation allowed me to really explore sides of Mimi and Dimentio we don't really see. Dimentio being off-guard and relaxed is very different from when he is being his normal self. And Mimi scared of something like thunder, when she's faced the End of the Worlds, allows me to write with a different atmosphere. I do enjoy writing in a normal atmosphere, but to really see if a character is more than flat, I believe these sorts of unusual situations show a lot. I'd say this is probably in my top five.


	70. Storm

070: Storm

"You finally escape Dramsburg after bribing the jailer, fighting thirty-seven rabid dwarf mushrooms, crawling through the five-mile sewer system, and blowing a hole in the dam that kept the Dramsburg Valley from flooding. Now, thirteen miles down the road, you find a small community called Ebony Sands," Dimentio narrated. "Keeping in mind what happened at the last tavern, what are you going to do?"

"Where's the mayor's house?" Mr L asked.

"Why do we want to go there?" O'Chunks asked.

"Because the mayor probably can point us towards the Ruins of Ra'Nu," Mr L explained.

"Nae in me knowledge, but tha' sounds good," O'Chunks agreed.

"Hey! What about me?" Mimi complained.

"You got us into the last mess," Mr L commented.

"No! That was you!"

"You chose the Happy Hour Tavern," Mr L reminded Mimi.

"Hmmph."

"You ask a citizen in the street, and they point you to the house. In retrospect, it should have been obvious," Dimentio said. "The house is by far the largest in the community."

"Does the mayor invite us in?" Mr L questioned.

"You haven't knocked on the door yet," Dimentio replied dryly.

"Oh! I get to knock on the door!" Mimi shouted.

"The door opens, and what looks like a maid looks out at you, puzzled."

"Ooooh. Is she pretty?" Mr L inquired.

"...Yes. For a maid."

"I make a suave roll with a plus seven modifier. I get... twenty-four! I sidle up to her and point to my forearms. 'This is Thunder, and this is Lightning. Want to get caught in the storm?' What does the maid do?" Mr L asked eagerly. O'Chunks and Mimi groaned.

"The maid looks at you for a moment, then pulls a small vial from her pocket. She gives it to you and shuts the door."

"I pop the vial and drink it!" Mr L announced. "She'll surely be impressed with my bravery."

"The vial contained a poison. You fall at Chunks' feet, twitching occasionally."

"Am I dead?"

"Duh!" Mimi rolled her eyes. "Is there a paper in the vial?"

"Actually, yes. It says, 'The mayor is busy. Please give this paper to any visitors and take their concerns.'"

"Ah go into a rage!" O'Chunks bellowed. "Ah burn the house down!"

"I guess I gotta revive Lousi," Mimi sighed.

"Why did the maid kill me?" Mr L wondered.

"The maid is actually a contract killer. She's been hired to murder the mayor. You got in the way."

"I'm pretty sure you made that up, Dimentio," Mr L grumbled. "We are never stopping ANYWHERE again!"

A/N: Ah, the continuing adventures of our intrepid adventurers. Well, probably more like lame adventurers. Why does Mr L's luck with the ladies extend to the game? Because it's funny.

I never stopped in any taverns in my game...


	71. Broken

071: Broken

_He breaks my heart,_  
_Though he doesn't intend to._  
_I overflow with love,_  
_Though I don't show it._

_His plans include no room for amour,_  
_I'm very sure,_  
_That if I didn't keep things on track,_  
_He wouldn't notice me._

_My heart, it shatters anew_  
_Every time I see the look in his eye,_  
_The look that shows he's thinking,_  
_About that girl._

_How can I serve him well,_  
_When his affections clearly lie elsewhere?_  
_But I cannot help but do it,_  
_I'm an willing slave to an unreturned passion._

_Yet, here I still am,_  
_Working for this handsome man._  
_No hopes of ever being noticed,_  
_I hold nothing in my palm._

_Fighting, striving to hold these feelings in check._  
_Never knowing, always seeking,_  
_For some sort of slipped adulation._

_It's hopeless, I've realized,_  
_He'll never hold anything for me._  
_And yet, I cannot help but grasp at a small grain of hope._  
_It's an unwarranted optimism,_  
_That drives me along,_  
_Despite this broken heart of mine._

A/N: This seemed to be a perfect place for a spot of poetry. And thus, this was born! Anyway, I didn't put names in this because I felt I slipped enough hints. Ciao for now.


	72. Fixed

072: Fixed

_Hiding in the corner of the Castle, _  
_I watch as he whispers things I long to hear._  
_Alas, they are not for me,_  
_But for the butterfly._

_Who was there for him during his ordeal?_  
_I was!_  
_Who took a blast for him?_  
_I did!_

_Somehow, those things have been forgotten,_  
_Lost in the winds of the past._  
_I wonder if he remembers my name,_  
_Or if that's gone, just like everything else._

_Nothing mattered to me but his affection,_  
_It was not to be._  
_That... winged insect stole his heart._  
_I cannot forgive such a slight._

_How has this happened?_  
_How will I survive?_  
_Seeing him with her,_  
_I'm fit to burst._

_Can a broken heart be healed?_  
_Conventional means will not suffice._  
_Perhaps amnesia would do the trick._  
_Yet, if I forgot, I would still pine for him._

_I know not how long it is,_  
_That I stand in this corner,_  
_Shedding selfish tears._  
_It feels like hours._

_I seem to shrink deeper,_  
_Building a shell of indifference._  
_I hope it can protect me,_  
_Deep down, I know it will crack at the slightest thing._

_He still doesn't know,_  
_Why is he so dense?_  
_Even as I think that,_  
_Something breaks my shield._

_I remember the times he laughed at my mistakes._  
_Not a mocking laugh, of course._  
_It was a gentle, warm laugh._  
_I was able to laugh at myself._

_I recall the time we went to a far-off place,_  
_And it began to rain._  
_He put up his cloak so as to protect me,_  
_The rain drenched him; it didn't touch my clothes._

_Once, he checked in on me._  
_I was up at twelve, working late._  
_He chided me gently, told me to sleep,_  
_Said he'd do the work himself._

_As I stand, memories come flooding,_  
_Things I had forgotten._  
_Times he lifted me up, when I had stumbled,_  
_Finally I begin to realize._

_No matter whom his heart belonged to,_  
_I had a special place._  
_I was there during his ordeal._

_My heart begins to warm,_  
_I remember, once, he told me that I was special._  
_Apparently, I was the one who had forgotten._

_One by one, the pieces of my heart reform._  
_The cracks begin to mend._  
_And once it's finished, my heart is whole._

_I may not be his paramour,_  
_But now, at last, I feel assured._

_I am not forgotten._  
_I am not heartbroken._

A/N: This is the companion of Broken. I wanted this to be longer, as we had to mend a heart, not talk about one already broken. Anyway, have a good weekend!


	73. Light

073: Light

It was morning in Dimension Bleck. The Count was, surprisingly, the first up and in the kitchen. He threw fourteen eggs into a pan, turned the heat to high, dropped in twelve pieces of bacon, then smothered the whole mess in pancake batter.

As the Count flipped the food with a spatula, Mimi wandered into the room. She was rubbing her eyes, yawning as she did so. "Good morning, Count Bleck exclaimed!" Count Bleck exclaimed.

"Hey, Count," Mimi mumbled.

"What is bothering you?" Count Bleck asked.

"All the light streaming into my room," Mimi answered. "It woke me uzzzzzzz..." She was asleep.

The Count shrugged and turned back to his monstrosity. Somehow, he was managing to avoid burning it.

"My dear Count?"

"Ack! Please do not sneak up like that!"

"My apologies," Dimentio said. "Did I hear Mimi say 'light?'"

"Yes. Why?"

"Dimension Bleck does not have a sun. How could there be light?"

Count Bleck stopped. "That, Dimentio, is a trade secret."

"Ah. Very well. By the way, your... thing is becoming charred." Dimentio teleported away.

There was nothing Count Bleck could do to save his food. He dumped it into the garbage, then sat at the table next to Mimi. He'd wait for Nastasia, he decided. Count Bleck didn't know a thing about cooking. Just as he didn't know why there was light in Dimension Bleck.

A/N: Not quite sure what happened here. The idea was awesome, the execution... eh. Oh well. It did make me wonder, though. What gives Dimension Bleck illumination? Who knows. I don't!


	74. Dark

074: Dark

The sky of Dimension Bleck was bright- well, as bright as it ever gets. O'Chunks had gone on a mission, Nastasia was dragging Mimi to the dentist, and Count Bleck was negotiating a treaty with the Sammer King. Mr L and Dimentio were the only ones in the Castle. Mr L was watching _Flint Cragley_. Dimentio? Well, let's see.

Dimentio was standing outside his bedroom, nailing a piece of paper on the wall. He stepped back once he finished and nodded in satisfaction. The paper said, 'Dimentio's Asymmetric Radical Kingdom, _Est. _2 ACH, _Ruled by _His Eminence Violet Emperor Dimentio.'

"Ah, yes. This is good," Dimentio declared. He was interrupted by Mr L, who had come to get Dimentio to fix the antenna.

"Hey, Dim- what's that?" Mr L pointed to the paper.

"I have seceded from Dimension Bleck," Dimentio told him. "I now have my own micronation."

"So... you're the Emperor of... DARK?" Mr L asked.

"No. 'Dimentio's Asymmetric Radical Kingdom.' Not 'DARK.' But yes, I am the Emperor of Dimentio's Asymmetric Radical Kingdom."

"Good for you," Mr L said hesitantly. "Can you come fix the antenna? The television is flipping out."

"Ah, that," Dimentio laughed. "The power lines go through Dimentio's Asymmetric Radical Kingdom, so you must pay for their usage."

Mr L's jaw dropped. "The Nation of L declares WAR!" he shouted, then ran off to, presumably, gather weapons.

* * *

Nastasia, O'Chunks, Mimi, and the Count all arrived back at the Castle at the same time.

"Eh, wha' happened?" O'Chunks exclaimed. Nastasia put her head in her hands. Mimi's eyes widened so much she thought they were going to pop. The Count raised an eyebrow.

The Castle had been reduced to a few standing walls surrounded by rubble. A flag was flying on one of the walls. It was decorated with an L. As the four watched, Dimentio floated past and ripped the flag down. He was immediately bombarded by bob-ombs, thrown by Mr L who was yelling, "Death to the DARK oppressor!"

"Count Bleck decided that he would leave again and come back later," Count Bleck decided. The other three nodded vigorously, and all left the Dimension. Just in time, because the last standing walls fell right then.

A/N: This is actually taken from my own experiences. You see, I run a micronation called Faneuil. It is three years old. I never engaged in warfare with other nations, though...

'ACH' stands for 'After Chaos Heart.' So 2 ACH is '2 years After Chaos Heart.'


	75. Shade

075: Shade

There was no life as far as the eye could see, just cold, gray barrens. This was the Shaded Realms. No one was here.

A figure was trudging across the wasteland. Brown robes masked the figure's body. The figure's head was hidden by a cowl. The figure crested a dead hill, and pushed the cowl back. It was Dimentio.

He had come to the Shaded Realms to find Mereliah. This was the last place he could think to look. The Shaded Realms were known for presenting travelers with visions of their dead family and friends. Dimentio thought that if he found Mereliah's shade here, he could stop searching. But if he didn't, he would continue, to the end of time if necessary.

At the bottom of the hill, Dimentio was presented with the first vision. A shade of a green-clad man with a small beard appeared.

"Dimentio," the shade moaned.

"Merloo?" Dimentio murmured. "Go away."

"You..." Merloo's shade was blown away by an energy sphere from Dimentio. The jester shook his head, and continued walking.

Every shade that appeared received the same treatment. Every one shattered into the air.

A wind picked up. Dimentio stopped, listening. _Ooooooooooooooaahoooooooooo_... The wind carried the sound of death. _Ooooooooooooo_... A new shade faded into view. This one was a lady. Merlumina.

Dimentio frowned. "You cannot be here," he mused. "You wait within the Yold Ruins." He reached out a finger, but something yelled for him to pull back. As Dimentio obeyed, the gray soil burst in front of him, revealing a towering, lizard-like mole creature.

The creature was an illusion-beast. They were the only things that lived in the Shaded Realms. To catch unsuspecting travelers, they would create illusions from the prey's mind, then grab them when the traveler has grasped the illusion.

Silently blessing his subconscious, Dimentio backflipped away from the illusion-beast. Upon landing, he shot three energy spheres at the creature. Each slammed into the beast, creating splashes of magic. The secondary splashes hit the beast as well. The beast reared back, howling in agony. Dimentio launched four more spheres, sending the beast into its death throes. It crashed to the ground, motionless.

Dimentio stood for a moment, trying to regain his breath. A flicker in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Dimentio turned to find a new shade coalescing. Still wary from the previous illusion, he edged forward, but stopped dead in his tracks when the shade finished forming.

A woman in modestly lavish, vibrant cerulean robes stood before him. She wore no headdress, allowing her long, brown hair flow over her shoulders and down her back. She was, in a word, beautiful.

"Mereliah?" Dimentio whispered. For the shade was indeed Mereliah. "What? What happened?" Dimentio stepped tentatively towards the shade, hand outstretched. His fingers went through Mereliah, and the shade dissipated.

Dimentio stared at his fingers, then at where the shade had been. It was too much. "Why? Why did you leave? Why did I look at that accursed book?" Dimentio shouted. His usual calm demeanor had broken, letting the pain he felt surface. His calm broke further, and finally fragmented. And with that fragmentation, all the anguish Dimentio had bottled up over the years exploded out of him.

The explosion ripped from his body, stripping away soil and rock in a thirty-foot radius. Dimentio fell to the earth, unconscious.

For hours, the wind blew, picking up dust from the crater. When Dimentio awoke, he was surprised to see a tall figure standing over him. The figure offered Dimentio a hand, and he took it.

"I am looking for one like you. Will you join my crusade? Asked Count Bleck."

A/N: Hmm. What to say? This is pretty straightforward, actually. Nothing to really explain. If you have questions, feel free to ask.


	76. Who?

076: Who?

"HARBLE-DEH! WHA' IS THA'?" The piercing shout came from, surprisingly, O'Chunks. Mr L, Mimi, and Dimentio all raced towards the sound and found Count Bleck lying on the floor. His monocle was askew and his staff was missing. Tippi was resting on his chin, crying.

"Tippi! O'Chunks! What happened?" Mr L asked.

Tippi tried to stifle her sobs, but they wouldn't stop. "H-he's d-dead," she sniffed.

"Our dear Count?" Dimentio sounded skeptical.

"We've gotta figure out who did it!" Mimi declared. Smoke surrounded her, and when it cleared, she was wearing a detective's get-up. "Right! Who did it? Was it you, Dimmy?"

"It seems that you forgot I was throwing that ridiculous frisbee with you for the past four hours," Dimentio commented dryly. "Mr L was there as well."

"Hmm. That's right," Mimi mused. "O'Chunks couldn't have done it. He was too surprised. And Tippi wouldn't murder her husband, would she?"

"Sounds right to me," Mr L said.

"Then there is only one explanation! Nassy did it!" Mimi declared.


	77. What?

077: What?

"So Nastasia did it. That's what you're saying?" Dimentio asked.

"Indeed!"

"Then, pray tell, what was the murder weapon?"

Mimi deflated. "Oh. Well, you see, umm... C'mon, Dimmy! I'm not a psychic!"

"D'ye know, the Count's staff is gone. Could tha' have been it?" O'Chunks wondered.

Tippi fluttered up to land on Dimentio's shoulder. She had finally managed to calm down a bit. "When I found him," she said, "his staff was gone." Tippi flitted off of Dimentio's shoulder and alighted on the Count. "There's a dark mark on his face. It looks like a burst of magic."

Dimentio bent down to examine the Count. He looked closely at the mark, and nodded. Straightening up, he looked around at the assemblage. "It was a blast of magic. The type, fire, was lethal. But so was where Nastasia stood."


	78. Where?

078: Where?

"Where Nastasia stood?" Mr L asked.

"Yes." Dimentio floated to a spot about ten feet from where the Count lay. "If we are to assume that Nastasia did, indeed, use the Count's staff against him, then she must have shot the blast from right here. The magic has a push force of approximately five."

"Wha' does tha' mean? 'Push force?'" O'Chunks was confused.

"Push force refers to how much a particular magic pushes the victim," Dimentio explained. "In this case, Nastasia would have had to stand here, where I am. To have gained this push, she would have been ten inches away from the Count. At that distance, there was no way to escape death from an accurate blast."

"Hmm," Mr L muttered. His face was creased in a frown.

"What is it, L-bro?" Mimi questioned.

Mr L glanced at her. "'L-bro?' Really?"

"Hey, I'm trying!" Mimi defended.

"Just call me 'Louie.'"

"Ooh! That's good!"

"Anyway," Mr L said over Mimi, "all this is well and good, but when did it happen? Did you figure that out, Dimentio?"


	79. When?

079: When?

"When? I have a vague idea," Dimentio answered.

"What is your idea?" Mr L asked.

"I'd say two hours ago. The mark from fire magic darkens as time passes."

"That's what I think. I remember sitting outside with you and Mimi two hours ago and hearing the Count and Nastasia through a window. Two hours also puts it during their daily conference," Mr L explained.

"So it was two hours ago? I knew that!" Mimi exclaimed.

"Sure you did," Dimentio said sardonically.

"Stop, you two," Tippi admonished.

"Tha's all well an' good," O'Chunks broke in. "But why did Nastasia do it?"


	80. Why?

080: Why?

"O'Chunks is right," Tippi commented. "_Why_ did Nastasia do this despicable deed?"

There was silence for a minute as all contemplated the question. O'Chunks smashed the silence.

"Ah know! We all know, ah think. Nastasia was in love wi' the Count," O'Chunks said.

"Of course!" Mr L cried. "Nastasia loved the Count! Then, when Tippi came back, she knew it was hopeless."

"Oh," Tippi murmured. "She could have said something."

"Actually," Dimentio pointed out, "our dear Count knew all about it. He, however, was completely and utterly enamoured with someone else. You, dear Tippi. Nastasia knew that. The Count even told her that she was special to him, in a sisterly sort of way. Still, Nastasia was, shall we say, captivated."

"So she murdered him," Tippi whispered. "She couldn't have him, so no one could. I feel so guilty."

"It's not your fault!" Mimi piped up. "It was her's! We gotta find her," she continued, but was cut off by a voice.

"Why do you need to find me?"

A/N: For some reason, I imagined that Nastasia was slinking up when she said that. Kind of like one of Charlie's Angels. Or Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil.


	81. How?

081: How?

"Nastasia!" Mr L shrieked, jumping behind Dimentio. Dimentio rolled his eyes.

"Nassy! What are you doing here?" Mimi asked.

"I came to see what the fuss was about," Nastasia smoothly answered. "Wh- Count! What? How did this happen?"

"I'm sure you know," Tippi growled. Nastasia put a hand to her chest.

"Me? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah think you do, miss," O'Chunks said sternly. "Dimentio, tell 'er."

"Yeah! Dimmy should do it!" Mimi cheered. "He could beat her if she tried anything!"

Mr L gave Dimentio a slight push. "Go for it, Dimentio." Mr L's voice was cracking.

"Fine." Dimentio took a step towards Nastasia. "Nastasia, two hours ago, you were with the Count for your daily meeting."

"Yes," Nastasia confirmed, though it wasn't a question. "What does it have to do with anything?"

"I'm getting to that," Dimentio replied irritably. "As you were having your meeting, a sudden desire grabbed your cold heart! It was simple to grab the Count's staff and fire a blast at ten inches. The fire magic was enough, but the proximity did its work as well. The Count was dead before he hit the floor."

"Are you implying that _I _killed the Count?" Nastasia scoffed.

"All the evidence points to you," Mr L told her.

"What possible reason would I have for killing the Count?" Nastasia asked, looking a trifle interested.

"Because I loved him!" Tippi screeched.

Nastasia looked at Tippi, comprehension dawning on her face. "You think I killed the Count because you loved him? You think I thought that if I couldn't have him, no one could?"

"Yes," the butterfly snarled.

"Heh." That wasn't what Tippi, Mr L, Mimi, Dimentio, and O'Chunks were expecting. "Heheh." Nastasia began to laugh. No one had ever heard her laugh like this. It was an evil laugh, louder than her usual, dignified snort.

"What's s-so f-funny?" Mr L stammered.

"I have to hand it to you. I didn't think you misfits could figure it out." Nastasia smirked. "Yes, I did it. You got everything right." Her smirk disappeared. "I wanted the Count, but that insect had his heart. Well, if I didn't get him, no one did!" Nastasia's voice was rising. "I could have been his! But NO! He had no thought for me! So he got what was coming. It was easy. Such a simpleton. Such a trusting, asinine simp- _snerk_!"

"Wha'?" O'Chunks's question was in almost everyone's mind. Nastasia doubled over, laughing in a series of snorts. Dimentio smiled.

"I believe that is quite enough, said Count Bleck." Dimentio and Nastasia were the only ones that didn't jump at the Count's voice.

"Blumiere!" Tippi cried, fluttering over to Count Bleck. "What's happening?"

Nastasia recovered from her fit and adjusted her glasses. "We thought that a team-building exercise was in order," she explained.

"Yes, Nastasia is correct," Count Bleck affirmed. "From what I heard, it seems that it worked admirably. Nastasia, good work."

Nastasia bowed. "Thank you, Count."

"So, it was fake? 'Ow were we supposed to know?" O'Chunks asked.

"You weren't, 'k?" Mr L, Mimi, and O'Chunks nodded thoughtfully at that.

"Oh! You are unbearable!" Tippi exclaimed. She slapped Count Bleck with a wing.

"Dearest Timpani, I am fully aware of that fact." Count Bleck grinned. "I will make it up to you, dear."

"Tippi, I hope you forgive me for all that," Nastasia said earnestly.

"Hmmph. I suppose," Tippi grumbled.

"It was a good facade, dear Count," Dimentio slid in.

"Where did the Count mess up?" Mimi questioned.

"That is what Count Bleck would like to know, chimed in Count Bleck."

"The mark," Dimentio explained. "The make-up smeared when it was applied. Other than that, the guise was perfect."

"Man, Dimentio, couldn't you have said something?" Mr L whined.

"It was obviously an exercise. I could say nothing."

"Nastasia, make a note of that. When we do another exercise, Count Bleck would like to avoid that."

"You are not doing another of these exercises!"

"Very well, dear."

"Ah'm 'ungry. Do we 'ave any pickles?"

A/N: And thus concludes the great murder arc. I hope that no one was scarred by my apparent murder of Count Bleck. I rather liked how this came out, and it's also given me good insight into Nastasia's character. I pictured her much like one of Charlie's Angels during her acting part, then when the truth came to light, as her normal self. Note the difference in speech in each part. I think, though, that Nastasia's gained more confidence, which is why her normal dialogue isn't peppered with 'k's and ums.


	82. If

082: If

_Today, for your reading pleasure, I have tapped into an alternate universe. Everything that you have come to expect about this story has been turned upside down, just because one single event did not happen._

_Rewind to the day Dimentio wrote the Dark Prognosticus. In this universe, that event never occurred. The Dark Prognosticus was written by another. Because of this, Count Bleck never found the Dark Prognosticus. Since Count Bleck never found it, he was never anyone other than Blumiere. _

_Someone else found the Dark Prognosticus. Someone who never should have taken possession of the Dark Prognosticus became the one destined to carry out the black words. That someone was well-known to us. Who was it, you ask? Read on, dear reader. Read on._

* * *

"I've failed you, my Laird!" a green-clad man cried. "I do not deserve to continue in your service."

"Hmm. Miasma, what shall we do with this failure?" a bearded hulk of a man asked the being standing next to him. The being was small, and wearing a neatly pressed white shirt with black slacks.

"Laird, this is the second time this dope has been foiled. It is obvious that the thirty-dimension run did nothing. I suggest Louis be kicked out," Miasma said. The being was a girl.

"Oh, please, no!" Louis exclaimed. "I'll do better next time!"

The hulking man stood. "You have already had enough chances!" he bellowed. "Laird Chunks has spoken!" Laird Chunks held up a ham of a hand, palm out, and chanted a few unintelligible words. A small void formed around Louis, purple and black swirling through the space. Louis shrieked, and in a breath, he disappeared. The void disappeared as well, shrinking until vanishing with a pop.

_This is Laird Chunks. In this universe, where Dimentio did not write the Dark Prognosticus, the Dark Prognosticus was instead written by an insane tribal leader in the highlands. The book was passed down the leader's line until the line vanished. The book vanished with the line. Many years after, a lowly warrior of the highlands discovered the Dark Prognosticus within a tomb. This was the birth of Laird Chunks._

Miasma nodded slightly. "I'll put the write-up on your desk tomorrow, Laird. But..." she trailed off.

Laird Chunks noticed this. "What is it, Miasma?"

After taking a few moments to compose herself, Miasma asked, "But what about the prophecy? The prophecy stated that the Man in Green would determine the truth."

"And you worry that Louis was the Man in Green?" Miasma nodded. "Very well. McMaddock!"

At the shout of Laird Chunks, a figure teleported in. The figure was male, wore a sheepskin vest and kilt, and positively reeked of evil. "My Laird." The figure bowed.

_This figure is McMaddock. He is the tribal leader who wrote the Dark Prognosticus. His life is inexplicably tied to the Dark Prognosticus. Contrary to the belief of his tribe, he never died. McMaddock has kept an eye on the book ever since it was written by his hand._

"I assume you are aware as to what just happened." It was phrased in statement form.

"Of course I am, my Laird," McMaddock replied.

"Will it affect the Dark Prognosticus' prophecy?"

McMaddock smirked. "Nay, my Laird. The prophecy ne'er hinged upon that buffoon. As long as I am here, the prophecy cannae be turned back."

"Good." Laird Chunks turned to Miasma. "See, dear Miasma? Everything is on schedule. The pitiful worlds will soon crumble beneath me. And you shall rule by my side, as my Queen."

McMaddock teleported away from the two, a smirk still gracing his features. 'Not as long as I am here,' McMaddock thought.

_Now you see. In this parallel universe, Dimentio never wrote the Dark Prognosticus. He never entered the Restricted Area of the Hall of Prophecy. Due to this single decision, an entire future was changed. Now you see what one decision, by one individual, can do to the destiny of all the worlds..._

A/N: A wild update appeared! On that note, I am SO sorry that it took this long to get a new chapter. In the past five weeks, I have: started school, gotten behind in school THREE times, gotten sick TWICE, caught up in school once, and gotten sucked into a 3DS game. You can see what happened. Plus, I didn't have any ideas before all that happened, and I had no time during this. Anyway...

Once again, this chapter was a spur-of-the-moment idea. I thought, "What would've happened if Count Bleck had never gotten the Dark Prognosticus?" Then I thought, "What a lame idea. What would've happened if DIMENTIO had never WRITTEN the Dark Prognosticus?" Thus, this story was born.

I actually quite like this idea. I can see it being a full fic someday. But I already have too much on my plate. BTW, you can find three Super Paper Mario characters in this fic. See if you can find them. ;)


	83. And

083: And

_Today, I successfully drove DARK into a cease-fire. Quite frankly, that's all I could have hoped for. And I think that Dimentio got tired._

_Anyway, now that that's over with, the Nation of L has entered into trade conferences with DARK in order to try and get reception back for the television. It will be a hard bargain, but I, King Luigi the First, must be strong. The Nation of L cannot rest until the television signal has been restored. I've missed three episodes of _UltraMan_ as it is..._

* * *

"Your Eminence Violet Emperor Dimentio, it is an honor to be here in your kingdom." Mr L bowed slightly, as is appropriate from a visiting royal.

"King Luigi the First. Your nation has stung mine, but I lay aside my pride for the sake of peace," Dimentio declared. He neglected to bow.

"All right, let's get this thing over with already," Mimi grumbled. She had agreed to be the moderator of the trade conference, on the condition that Mr L and Dimentio refer to her as 'Great High Muckedy-Muck Princess Mimi the Magnificently Sparkly of Mimiland.'

"Very well," Mr L said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Dimentio took the opposite seat.

"Why have you requested these trade conferences, King Luigi?" Dimentio asked, beginning the conference.

"I have requested these conferences because my nation suffers. We wish to negotiate a trade for the television signal that your kingdom has so maliciously blocked."

"What will you trade?"

"This is so boring," Mimi groused, doodling with a marker on the tabletop.

"I am willing to trade a crate of Mushrooms for the return of the television signal," Mr L offered.

"And?"

"What? What does 'and' mean?"

"A crate of Mushrooms is not enough. What else will you give?" Dimentio folded his arms over his chest. "I will not return the signal for such a measly offer."

"Very well. I am also prepared to provide a dozen tickets to Poshley Heights and Glitzville."

"And?"

* * *

After an hour had passed, Mr L had successfully managed to get the television signal back. It had been a hard bargain, but Dimentio finally agreed to return the signal for one crate of Mushrooms, a dozen tickets to Poshley Heights and Glitzville, seven Whacka's Bumps, thirteen Power Stars, four pieces of Golden Space Chocolate, Mr L's prized bamboo leaf sombrero and his complete Catch Card collection, a cask of vintage '34 Tasty Tonic, the clothes off Mr L's back (leaving him in his long johns,) and Mr L's unborn heir.

"It has been a pleasure doing business with you, King Luigi," Dimentio said, shaking Mr L's hand.

"Yes." The word was laced with poison.

"Oh, I ought to tell you," Dimentio added, turning around, "I have dissolved Dimentio's Asymmetric Radical Kingdom. It was two days ago, actually. The signal for the television has been back since then."

"WHAT?!" Mr L exploded. "MIMI! ISN'T THAT SOMETHING HE SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED BEFOREHAND?!"

Mimi's eyelids fluttered. "Not... on Tuesdays. You didn't ask... Louie." She fell back to sleep.

"You do still owe me all the things you promised. They will give me a nice leg-up for my new company."

"What company?" Mr L spat the words out.

"Dimentio's Free Trade and Tacos." Dimentio teleported away.

Fuming, Mr L stomped over to the TV and pushed the power button. Sure enough, the screen sprang to life. He flopped onto the couch and turned the TV to show _UltraMan_.

As he watched, he calmed down. _Maybe I can get out of it... AH! I'll never get married! That'll show that twisted jester!_

Having settled on a plan of action, Mr L turned all of his attention to _UltraMan_.

A/N: A wild update appeared! Hey, look at that. Sorry about the lateness of this. I meant for it to be up earlier, but I got sick and behind in school and sick and... Well, you get the picture.

So, revisiting DARK! This was rather fun to write. I did have to figure out whether to end where I did, or at Dimentio telling Mr L the name of his company. Hope y'all enjoy this!


	84. He

084: He

_The human girl, she felt so strange.  
I never thought my heart would  
Fall for such a being._

_When she disappeared, I was dismayed.  
In that dismay, I turned to rage.  
Life was not worth the pain,  
Without her by my side._

_The Dark Prognosticus,  
Lured me with a promise.  
That promise, a lie.  
All the worlds were fated to die._

_I was the Chosen One,  
Made to employ the Void.  
I thought I was the Puppeteer.  
I found I was sorely mistaken._

_The Heroes failed to fall.  
I failed to bring doom to all.  
I was not the one in charge._

_The twisted creature,  
He was behind the Prophecy's power.  
I learned I had been pulled,  
Every direction he desired._

_Finally, however, the creature fell.  
I found the girl once more.  
She declared her love for me,  
And I for her._

_Now the Chaos Heart is gone.  
And we are together, at last._

A/N: So, I thought it was time for some more poetry! Besides, this and the next prompt lend themselves well to it. This is basically Count Bleck's perspective. The next? You'll see...

I'm glad to get a chapter out! I finally had some free time. Curse you, school!


	85. She

085: She

_He was an enigma,  
One unlike any else.  
I fell in love._

_Perhaps it was his manner,  
He was fraught with danger.  
Association was taboo,  
But there's no stopping adoration._

_His father banished me,  
To wander for near eternity.  
A fortune-teller found me, broken in spirit,  
And changed my form._

_My memory, gone,  
My body, changed,  
I was not who I thought,  
I was no multi-hued butterfly._

_The Void appeared, I feared.  
The fortune-teller sent me to find a Hero.  
I found one, with mustache grand._

_On his journey, I followed.  
Three others joined, as prophesied.  
The memory I lost, began to flow,  
Soon I remembered all._

_During the fight, I cringed.  
I recalled that he was the one I loved.  
Finally, the true foe fell,  
And we professed our love._

_Now the Chaos Heart is gone.  
And we are together, at last._

A/N: Here's the partner chapter of 'He.' Here we've got Tippi/Timpani! And GOOD GRAVY CAKES! There's only FIFTEEN chapters until the hundred mark!

School's finally calming down. Thank goodness.


	86. Choices

086: Choices

"Hmm dee dum de humm." Mr L was in the kitchen of Castle Bleck, rooting through the fridge. He was humming the theme song for _The Toad Griffith Show_. For some reason, the Castle's television was only picking up old shows. However, that is not the premise of today's story.

On the counter behind him, there were some food items. There was leftover orange chicken, roast Muth, and a ham-and-cheese potato skillet. Mr L extracted himself from the fridge, holding an old sausage and egg pastry. He grimaced, and put it with the other food.

"Mmmmmmmmmm. Four choices for a meal, right here," Mr L said, before reaching for the orange chicken.

"Ah, my good friend." Dimentio appeared in the kitchen, making Mr L jump. "How are you this fine day?"

"Oh, I'm good! I'm about to eat, though. Was there something you wanted?"

"Yes, there was. I wanted to inform you that your Brobot is on the fritz. The entire garage has been trashed," Dimentio informed him.

Mr L threw his hands up and ran out of the kitchen. Dimentio vaguely heard him say, "Thanks! Dang it, forgot to close the Flavorizer..."

Dimentio rubbed his hands together, grabbed the orange chicken, and teleported away.

* * *

Mr L returned to the kitchen, covered in grease. He was muttering to himself. "Good thing Dimentio let me know. Brobot would have destroyed..." Mr L trailed off, seeing that the orange chicken was gone. "Great," Mr L grumbled, "should have realized that would happen."

O'Chunks entered the kitchen. His stomach growled, knocking a clock off the wall. "Ah feel like ah could eat a Muth!"

Mr L glanced at the roast Muth on the counter. "What about a sausage pastry?" he asked O'Chunks.

"Ah cannae eat sausage. It gives me gas." O'Chunks, after divulging this information, took the roast Muth off of the counter and walked out, munching on slice after slice. Mr L sagged. Then he looked at the ham-and-cheese potato skillet, and immediately grew happier.

"At least I can eat the skillet." Mr L grabbed a plate, dumped the skillet onto the plate, placed the plate on the counter, and began hunting for a fork.

"Count Bleck says 'Thank you,' Mr L." Mr L banged his head on the drawer. Grasping his aching head, he looked around to see Count Bleck floating off, eating the ham-and-cheese potato skillet with his fingers.

"Wait! Hold on!" Mr L called.

"Yes? asked Count Bleck."

"Tha... nevermind." Count Bleck left.

Mr L glared at the sausage and egg pastry. It glared back with beady eyes. Mr L reached for it, but pulled back when the pastry snapped at him. "Ack! We've got pastryworms!" The pastry bounced off of the counter and hopped away, up the stairs.

Fuming, Mr L stomped to the cupboard. "Might as well have cereal," he growled, opening the cupboard doors. There was no cereal in the cupboard. "CURSES!" Mr L howled.

A/N: For some reason, I enjoy torturing Mr L. I also like irony. And ironed shirts. Those feel good.

Anyway. I think Brobot is awesome. As is orange chicken. Eating orange chicken in Brobot? Amazing.


	87. Life

087: Life

"MORE POWER, KAMEK!"

The old Magikoopa sighed and shot another bolt of lightning into a strange machine. The machine looked like someone had taken an old metal table and attached it to a crate with a giant light bulb on it. In fact, that's what had happened.

Bowser, while he had Nonflammas Vox, had been restricted to his castle by the doctor. So, to pass the time, Bowser had explored his castle. He had found out where Kamek kept the Jelly Ultras, where the sewer pipes exited his domain, and that the castle had a library. It was a very nice library, with thousands of books. Bowser wondered who had collected them all; he certainly hadn't.

The afflicted Koopa King spent the rest of his sickness in the library. He read _Of Mousers and Men_ and cried at the ending. After consuming _The Call of Bloopthulhu_, Bowser was unable to sleep for two days. He managed to finish _Wario and Peace_, _Lord of the Coins_, _The Hitch-Plumber's Guide to the Galaxy_, and _To Stomp a Paragoomba_. When he was finally better, he had just finished _Frankenkoop._ It gave him an idea.

Gathering the materials proved to be no easy task. Bowser had to pillage a couple of graveyards and junk heaps. It took two weeks to find everything, but in the end, Bowser was ready.

Kamek, at Bowser's shout, shot more energy into the machine. The light bulb began to flicker and spark. Suddenly, it exploded. Instead of throwing glass into the air, it seemed to explode slowly, then collapse on itself. Electricity flowed out of the coalescing orb. It washed over the machine, wrapping around the table and the shroud on top of it. This went on for ten seconds, then the electricity dissipated, leaving the shroud burnt and the light bulb completely destroyed. Kamek and Bowser pulled their hands away from their eyes. "Did it work?" Bowser asked.

The shroud twitched. A mechanical hand grasped the edge of the burnt fabric and pulled it off. A figure rose from the table and stepped away from it. Bowser began chortling. The figure was approximately Mario's height. It had the skull of a Hammer Bro. The body was that of an emaciated Clubba. It had one flesh arm of a Koopa, and one mechanical arm. Wings of a Paragoomba graced its back. It was a monstrosity. It was alive.

"Welcome... Frankenkoop."

* * *

Kamek stormed into Bowser's throne room. His glasses were askew, and his hat was slightly charred. Bowser noticed this. "What happened? Crystal ball explode?"

"Sire," Kamek growled, teeth gritted. "Your... monster decided it was a good idea to play bowling with the Fire Flowers. When are you going to send it to destroy Mario? It's going to turn the castle into ruins!"

"Relax, Kamek. Mario should be along shortly. Then Frankenkoop can deal with him."

Kamek was about to say something, but he was stopped by a hit to the head. He dropped to the floor. Bowser blasted flames, but received the same fate as Kamek. As he fell, he watched Mario bounce out of the throne room, Peach in his arms. Frankenkoop, Bowser noticed, was watching from the hallway. After Mario passed, Frankenkoop entered the throne room, saw Bowser and Kamek, and started laughing.

"What was that? You were totally creamed, man! I thought you were better than that!"

"Urgh... What about you? You STOOD there!" Bowser roared, trying to push himself up.

"Eh, he's not really my type. Do you have any hot wings?"

Bowser had to refrain from incinerating his creation. He did plan to let the Koopalings have some fun with it later, though.

A/N: Muahahahahaha! I just thought that was a good time for an evil laugh. Anyway, how about that, huh? I rather like Frankenkoop, myself. He seems pretty cool.

I LOVED writing this chapter! I hope you liked reading it!


	88. School

088: School

_You and I both know what school is like on Earth. The fact is, school is the same, no matter where you go. Well, actually, that's not true. There is one place where school is different._

"Bonechill!"

_The depths of the Underwhere._

"Bonechill! Are you listening?"

_There, Queen Jaydes employs teachers to smarten up the really terrible folks. They think of it as the worst torture imaginable._

"BONECHILL!"

_It is. It truly- OW!_

"There. Start paying attention, Bonechill. I will not tolerate monologing in my class."

_Yes, Ms Fynx._

Hmm. Our narrator has become incapacitated, so I, your normal guide, will take over.

"Good. Now, I was asking you what the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom was three thousand years ago." Ms Fynx was a terror of a woman. She took the form of a human female, but she could shape-shift. A ten-tailed, fiery fox was her favorite change.

Bonechill shifted on his wheels. Ms Fynx slapped a ruler into her palm. "Bonechill! You did read the assignment, didn't you?"

_No, ma'am._

"Hmmph," Ms Fynx sniffed. "I know you just got back from 'vacation,' Bonechill, but that is no excuse. Perhaps Kaitlyn can answer for you." Ms Fynx looked over at another being. You know her as the Shadow Queen. Ms Fynx, though, preferred to call her students by their true names.

The Shadow Queen straightened up. "Three thousand years ago, Glitzville was the capital of Mushroom Kingdom. Of course, then it was known as Redspot Village."

"That's correct, Kaitlyn." The Shadow Queen smiled at the praise.

_Bootlicker._

"Bonechill! We do not call others 'bootlicker!' I think you may need a couple of sessions in detention," Ms Fynx threatened.

_NO! Please don't!_

"Very well. Class is dismissed. Your thirty-page essay on why heroes always win is due next class. Bonechill, don't forget to get your report card signed by Principal Shroom."

Bonechill, shuddering at the thought of visiting Shroom, wheeled out of the cave Ms Fynx called her classroom, the Shadow Queen right behind him.

_Is everything ready?_

"Of course!" the Shadow Queen hissed. "You doubt my abilities?"

_Of course not. I have everything riding on this plan. Don't mess it up._

"I won't-"

"You won't what, Ms Kaitlyn?" Two hands stopped Bonechill and the Shadow Queen.

"Ah, that is, uh, I won't, uh..." the Shadow Queen stammered.

_She meant she wasn't going to cheat on me._

"WHAT?! You lousy, flea-ridden excuse for a wheeled ice demon!"

_Take that back! I thought you WANTED to get out of..._

"You want to get out of here? Well, I understand that."

"Good going, slush bucket!"

"I think Mr Ghoul has two more seats in the next two weeks of detention. Come, I'll walk you there."

Bonechill and the Shadow Queen, propelled along by the principal, seethed.

"Forget the alliance, icicle breath."

_Oh, I already have, you freak._

I think I disagree with Bonechill. I think this is the same as other schools.

A/N: I hadn't used Bonechill yet, so tada! Here he is! Really, he should have been harder in SPM. Though, I think I may have had a hard time with him...

Anyway, what do you all think of Pokemon X and Y? Personally, I've grown to really like the idea.


	89. Work

089: Work

"Gosh darn dang flipping crumbs!" Mr L was working on his Brobot. The nose missile-launcher was acting up, but wouldn't settle down. Plus, little metal-grubs were jumping around inside Brobot's engine. One had made Mr L smack his head on a clutch-capacitator.

Mimi looked around the door frame that led to the garage. She was somewhat scared of Brobot. She thought it looked like a really big refrigerator thing that was going to eat her. But, she did have a very urgent question to ask Mr L. So Mimi entered, dodging gears Mr L was chucking behind him, until she was right behind Mr L. "Hey!"

"By the Great-Horn Spoon!" Mr L exclaimed, leaping up and banging his head on the clutch-capacitator again. He spun around, a wrench held ready. Mimi flinched. "Oh. Hi, Mimi. Next time, just drop a paper by my nose. Augh, my head..."

"Okay!" Mimi had recovered quickly. "I had a question."

Mr L rolled his eyes. "Of course you do, Mimi. Can it wait, though? I've got a faulty nose clasp on the missile launcher and an infestation of metal-grubs. I gotta get this finished."

"It's about Brobot," Mimi explained.

Mr L opened his mouth, closed it, opened, closed. He sighed. "Fine. Go ahead."

"Well, it's two questions. How did you learn things like..." Mimi gestured wildly at Brobot, "this?"

"Mechanics? I don't know, really."

"How can you not know? I mean, that's like if I lost my diary."

"You do lose your diary, Mimi."

"Oh." Mimi thought. "Well, then it would be like if you didn't know that you're not supposed to eat spinach."

Mr L raised an eyebrow. "Not everything makes sense, Mimi. I just don't know where I learned to work like this."

"Okay." Mimi shrugged and moved on. "Will Brobot eat me?"

Mr L laughed. "Of course not, Mimi! Even if Brobot could, I wouldn't let him."

"_Not that you could stop me... Come closer, little girl... Let me show you my insides..._"

"EEEEEEKKK!" Mimi shrieked, running and tripping out of the garage. Mr L stormed over to Brobot and looked inside his mouth. Dimentio sat there, laughing quietly to himself. In one hand he held a clasp.

"DIMENTIO!" Mr L roared. Dimentio abruptly stopped laughing.

"And I am gone, like snow on the sun." Dimentio teleported away just as Mr L jumped at him. Mr L banged his forehead on the metal of Brobot's mouth.

"I have to get Count Bleck to put up a ward... or something."

A/N: I'm excited. Are you? I am. Why? Well, once the next chapter is finished, there's only TEN MORE! Ten more until the end of the prompt list, I mean. Not the end of the story. I've been looking forward to finishing the list for a long time. But don't worry! As I've said quite a bit, I'll be continuing after the list runs out. Ciao for now!


	90. Home

090: Home

In Nastasia's lap was an album full of scraps of newspapers, pages of memories, and photographs. She had collected it all to try and find her past. Recollections of dreams, sketches of half-remembered images. Slowly, Nastasia was able to piece together her history. Just as slowly, she realized something. Home was supposed to be a comfortable place. It was supposed to be that place where you could rest from your troubles. Your loved ones were supposed to reside there, ready with open arms to help you through your struggles. Home was supposed to be a sanctuary. If that was what defined a home, then Nastasia had never known one.

Nastasia had found that she had been born to a pair of nasty grouches. Their names were Archule and Bellua Witcarri. After she had been born, Archule left Bellua and the little child. Bellua named the child Nastasia.

A year after having Nastasia, Bellua died. Nastasia was taken to a small orphanage, the Flopside Orphanage for Forgotten Children. The Orphanage had closed down many years ago, but when Nastasia was taken to it, it was a bustling place, full of legal and illegal business alike. She had spent seven years there.

When Nastasia turned eight, a scientist had come into Flopside. The scientist was looking for subjects to test his elixirs on. Nastasia was one of the subjects given to him by the Orphanage.

For a time, all was fine. Then, the scientist changed. He began giving the subjects stranger and stranger elixirs. One of the elixirs he gave Nastasia transformed her. She became a bat. That night, she flew out the window and disappeared.

The elixir that changed Nastasia into a bat also wiped her memory. She flitted around, taking up residence in a forest. She didn't know how long she had been a bat.

Nastasia did remember, though, the day she met Count Bleck. She had been caught in a trap, hidden in the forest. Count Bleck had come through, searching for Timpani. The thing she remembered, though, was that he still took the time to free her from the trap. Nastasia thanked him and, as she flew deeper into the forest, it dawned on her that, in the brief moment she had seen him, she had fallen in love with Count Bleck. Somehow this was enough to break the elixir's hold, and Nastasia changed back into her true form. She had aged, but that did not matter. That night, she found Count Bleck again and gave her undying loyalty to him.

As Nastasia continued paging through the album, her mind thought over the places she had lived: with Bellua, in the Flopside Orphanage, with the scientist, in Castle Bleck. Not a single one was like a home to her. Nastasia couldn't remember her life with Bellua, but by all accounts, Bellua was not a good mother. The Orphanage had been dark, dank, and miserable. She had been made fun of. The scientist was better, but not by much. Nastasia's dreams of that time were always tense. As a bat, she had not had a true living place, and she had certainly had no others to talk to. And Castle Bleck had always been frantic. There was always an atmosphere of impending doom and chaos. It had been tense.

Nastasia remembered the frustration she always felt when O'Chunks failed in his assignments. She would always scold him. She would watch him go on missions, worry clutching her heart...

She remembered the exasperation Mimi caused. Such a small, immature girl, always complaining about her diary and the meanies that had beaten her up. Every time, Nastasia would scold her, but rage tore at her chest, desperately wishing to avenge the sweet child...

Mr L did not inspire confidence. But Nastasia constantly wanted to buoy him up, just as she would with a brother. Dimentio was... well, he was Dimentio. But Nastasia felt a kind of kinship with him, the kind felt by misfits.

Count Bleck... She loved him. Nastasia knew he didn't love her back, but that wasn't enough to push her away. Nothing could push her away from the one she had pledged allegiance to...

_Maybe,_ Nastasia thought, _I was wrong. This may not be a home, but it is a place worth living in. _Then something struck her. The tense, doomed atmosphere of Castle Bleck had vanished once the Chaos Heart had. Castle Bleck had become a friendlier place. _Not only that, I care for these people. Even Tippi will listen if I need to vent to someone, and she's the girl that I could never be. Mimi never ceases to amaze me with her wonderings. Mr L will lend a helping hand. Dimentio is somewhat less malicious. The Count... he cares for me in a different way. His love for me is like a sister, I suppose. O'Chunks... it still hurts to see him go out into danger. And he would do anything to protect me._

Nastasia turned to the final page in the album. The page had a photograph on it. The photograph showed the entire team of Castle Bleck: Mr L, Count Bleck, O'Chunks, Mimi, Tippi, Dimentio, and Nastasia herself. Count Bleck had wanted a picture of them all to put in his study.

The secretary smiled to herself, unconsciously adjusting her glasses. _No,_ Nastasia thought. _This _is_ my home._

A/N: Why oh why do I always do this with Nastasia? Probably because she's one of the best characters to have in this situation. Oh well. I'm happy with how this turned out, and that's what matters to me. Along with what you all think, of course. Anyway, I liked this, and that's that. Except for this: TEN MORE PROMPTS UNTIL I FINISH THE LIST! Please do remember that I will not stop writing on this story then. I love this too much to quit.


	91. Birthday

091: Birthday

Down, deep in the Pit of 100 Trials, an ancient evil is said to sleep. Residents of Flipside whisper at night, saying that this demon once terrorized the worlds, devouring souls and flesh alike. At least part of this is true. There is a creature down there, a dragon as white as bleached bones. But he is not sleeping. No. He is awake.

* * *

Wracktail sighs, watching the little wrackles run around on the floor. For some reason beyond his understanding, he spontaneously generates the tiny creatures. Not that they are of any use to him. They can't break out of the Pit, they can't fight worth a dang, and they aren't tasty.

The dragon wistfully dreams of the days when he, Wracktail, was to be feared. He would soar through the skies, roaring his mechanical roar, as people of all races scattered beneath him. At times, he would dip, hovering close to the ground to snatch up a couple snacks. Cragnon, Flipsider, D-Man... Oh, they were delicious. The towns his shadow fell upon were doomed, destined to be only smoking, dead ruins by the time he finished.

In those days, he was terrible. He and his best friend, Bonechill. Together they caused havoc and chaos. Their very first act- ravaging Yold Town- earned them a sentence to the deepest parts of the Underwhere. They couldn't be stopped. Nothing was powerful enough to stand against them.

Then something happened. A jester appeared. If he had been an ordinary jester, Wracktail would have gulped him down, then joked with Bonechill about the flavor. But he hadn't been an ordinary jester. He had wielded deadly powers. The dragon still remembers the words the jester spoke.

_If you destroy the worlds, what will I destroy?_

After speaking those words, the jester struck Bonechill down. Wracktail shudders at how easily his friend fell. Then, just as easily, the jester grabbed Wracktail's antenna and teleported down to a dismal cavern. The jester made a few gestures, and Wracktail was trapped. As the jester turned away, he seemed to mutter something.

_Ciao._

Wracktail had raged, but nothing could break the jester's seal. He, the master of the skies, had been trapped.

Remembering these things, Wracktail sighs again. He recalls how he fell asleep after that. He knows that he has never woken until today. He realizes that it was today, one thousand years ago, that he was trapped.

Wracktail's melancholy has overtaken him, and he finally falls asleep.

* * *

He awakens to the tromping of feet. A group of four beings enters his cavern. A red man, a green man, a pink girl, and a large turtle. He smiles slightly. The girl looks mouth-watering.

Wracktail rears back, bellowing as he did when he ruled the skies. The four jump. He leans down to stare at them with an eye. _"Why did you wake me from the sweet peace of slumber?! I will punish you... with death!"_ It is only in sleep that he finds solace, after all. But the girl... _"Girl... you, though... will be delicious!"_

The four are startled, but quickly leap to ready stances. Wracktail smiles as he looms to his full height, a roar emanating from his maw. He is ready. He will beat these intruders, eat the girl, and find his way to the surface. How delectable the irony. On the anniversary of his imprisonment, he shall find his way to power once more. He will rule the skies again. He will not lose.

A/N: Hey... This doesn't really fit the prompt that well, but I figure it's like an anniversary, which is like a birthday, and... yeah. Well, Wracktail keeps track of time by it, so hey! Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this, especially the present tense, Wracktail's story, and the whole thing. I _really_ liked having Wracktail think Peach looked delicious. Well, after this, there's nine prompts, but I have the next one written already, so there's actually eight. I have a plan for the one hundredth prompt. You'll just have to wait and see.


	92. Christmas

092: Christmas

The Christmas season spread over Toad Town. A choir of Toads belted out carols with perfect harmony. Passers-by dropped coins in the hats in front of the choir to help Mother Toad's Home for Orphans.

In a certain house on the edge of Toad Town, mushroom-scented candles burned. In a corner of the living room, a medium-sized evergreen was decked with tinsel, ornaments, and stars. Underneath the tree were seven presents.

Three people came into the room. They were Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. Peach laughed at the sight of the tree. "Mario, you did an amazing job!"

"Ah, it-a wasn't all me, Peach. Luigi helped as well!"

"Yup," Luigi confirmed, dividing the presents into three piles. "Since the Count went to the Sammer Kingdom for Christmas and the others went with him, I decided to come back here. Good thing I did. Mario was trying to put the star on top!" Luigi grinned. Mario shook his head.

"That-a doesn't matter. It is-a time for gifts, though!" Mario grabbed a pile of gifts and handed them to Peach.

She opened the first one. "Oh! A pink travel toothbrush! You didn't have to, Luigi."

"Well, I was just thinking that you probably need a toothbrush whenever you get captured, so-" He was cut off by a hug from Peach.

"I love it, Luigi! Thank you!" As Luigi murmured something that sounded like 'You're welcome,' Peach tore the paper off the last gift. Inside the paper was a velvet box. She slowly undid the clasp that held the box shut, then lifted the lid, gasping as she did so. In the box was a ring, a gold-banded affair with a small diamond held by silver leaf-work. Peach looked up at Mario. "Mario?"

Mario smiled. "Will you-a marry me, Peach?" He was hit by a pink comet and knocked off his feet.

"I think that's a yes, bro," Luigi observed. "I'm going to open my stuff while you two get untangled." Luigi pulled the paper off of his two gifts. The gift from Peach was an old box with an antique clockwork cricket, while the one from Mario was a hand-carved mask from the Sammer Kingdom. As Luigi began doing a little dance, Peach finally let Mario go.

Mario was a bit dazed as he opened his gift from Peach and Luigi (a golden mushroom engraved with the words 'Best Hero.') There were still two presents left for him.

Glancing at Luigi and Peach and getting shrugs in return, Mario opened one of the presents. Inside was a fire flower that he instantly absorbed. Mario frowned. He cautiously opened the last present. A small machine was revealed. The machine began whirring.

"Bwa ha ha ha ha! Did you like your little gift, Mario? Well, here's one more!" Bowser's voice, for that's whose voice it was, died away, and a tiny arm emerged from the machine. The arm lined itself up with Mario's face and, before anyone could react, threw a dusting of pepper at the plumber. The effect was predictable. Mario sneezed, and out of his nose came a stream of fire that torched the tree. It almost burned the gifts as well, but Peach was able to save them.

Mario wiped the tears from his eyes. Sneezing fire isn't the best thing in the world, you see. Luigi picked up the machine as Peach rushed for some water. The machine whirred again, and Luigi nearly leaped through the roof.

"Hope you liked it, pesky plumber! Oh, and merry Christmas!"

A/N: For some reason, I've got writer's block on these last prompts. Maybe my mind doesn't want to be finished with the list. I don't know...

Anyway, how about that Bowser! I considered doing something about Dimentio and the minions, but you know what? _No_.


	93. Thanksgiving

093: Thanksgiving

The Sammer Kingdom is a rather interesting place. It has a style all of its own, and customs all of its own, as well. Of course, the Sammer Guys celebrate well-known holidays like Christmas and Halloween, but they also celebrate holidays like Setsubun, where they throw beans at each other.

Perhaps the holiday that they are most well-known for, however, is Thanksgiving. This is a rather universal holiday, but the customs the Sammer Guys have for it are very... intriguing, to say the least.

* * *

"No, no, this won't do at all!"

The voice belonged to none other than King Sammer, or, as his full title was, King Running Dog III. He preferred 'King Sammer,' though, and so we will do him the service of calling him by that.

King Sammer was in the Royal Kitchens, supervising the preparations for the Grand Feast. He had been making his usual rounds, checking to make sure that the food was perfect, when he came to the cook making tamales.

"Tamales are to be folded left over right! Not right over left! Start over!" King Sammer walked off. The cook shrugged and turned the tamales around.

"Ah! This is what I like to see!" King Sammer exclaimed, having arrived at the Roasting Pit. The Roasting Pit was a grand affair, nearly the size of a high school gymnasium. It could roast five full-grown Muth at once. Filled to capacity, the Roasting Pit was giving off delicious smells.

"Is the meat sufficiently prepared, Your Highness?" one of the cooks asked.

"Sufficient? Of course! The meat is gorgeous! Now, how are the chicken nuggets? The little ones dearly love those."

"They are cooking to golden perfection, Sire."

"Splendid! Absolutely wonderful! This Thanksgiving will be one to remember!"

It was a custom of the Sammer Kingdom to cook a large quantity of a large variety of food. This was not just for the many Sammer Guys of the Kingdom, but also for the many guests King Sammer always invited. He loved the various foods of the worlds, and so, as well as making sure that his cooks prepared otherworldly recipes, he asked the guests to bring dishes of their own.

"Now! The guests have all arrived, I believe. It is time for a speech!" King Sammer exited the kitchen.

One of the cooks looked at another. "I'm glad we don't have to listen, Hairy Arantula. The King always goes on for too long. Made seven faint last year."

Hairy Arantula nodded sagely. "True, true. I was one of them!"

* * *

"Dear guests! It is a great honor to have you all here today!" King Sammer stood upon a balcony, addressing the assembled crowd. "I am glad you could come! This Grand Feast promises to be the best of them all!"

"Really?"

King Sammer looked wildly around. "Who said that?" he shouted.

Dimentio appeared next to King Sammer, who jumped nearly six feet. "And so I arrive, like an anticipated release date for the next life simulation game full of animals and one human. I am Dimentio, Master of Dimensions, Pleaser of Crowds, Charming Magician."

"See here! You were not invited! Leave before I call the guards!"

"Ah ha ha ha. It will not be that easy, dear King. You see, I have taken your precious Feast hostage."

King Sammer blinked. "What?"

A cook came bursting out of the doors on the balcony. "Sire! The food is missing!"

"Wha- You devil! Return the food at once!" King Sammer was growing purple.

"Ah. I cannot return it so quickly," Dimentio explained, confident smirk in place. "I must be appeased, first."

"I do not deal with terrorists! Never!"

"Then you shall never see your Feast again. Your tears will run like streams of regret, wailing that you should have listened to my demands. Ah, well. Perhaps you do not want your Feast this year."

"Wait! No, please! What do you want?"

"Good. I wish to be invited to the Feast."

"What?" King Sammer asked, flabbergasted.

"I wish to join the Feast. My stomach, it yearns for such sumptuous fare as that you have produced."

"And if I let you come, you'll give back the Feast?" King Sammer raised an eyebrow.

"On my word as a jester." Dimentio bowed.

King Sammer rubbed his chin. "Oh, very well. You may join." Dimentio's eyes lit up. He snapped his fingers, and the tables of the courtyard were suddenly groaning under the weight of the food.

"I expect no more trouble, now!" King Sammer demanded.

"You shall have none."

* * *

The Feast went wonderfully. Dimentio was the most enthusiastic eater there, outpacing some of the largest Sammer Guys. After the Feast, Dimentio showed his thanks by cleaning the dishes with a snap, and then he vanished.

King Sammer, to this day, invites Dimentio to the Grand Feast.

A/N: Hey, look at that! It's not as lame as it was going to be! YES!

Also, gotta thank The Great Allie. I was reading Shin Nen Omedetou, and was inspired to write about the Sammer Guys.


	94. Independence

094: Independence

The tranquil morning in Dimension Bleck was shattered by a shrill shout. I believe it came from the kitchen. Let us go see.

"Count, I wanna drive the ripper!" Ah, of course. It's Mimi.

"Count Bleck is getting a headache. Perhaps Mimi could find it in her to lower her voice, Count Bleck pleaded."

"Come on, Count!" Mimi exclaimed, slightly quieter. "I'm... well, I don't know how old I am, but I gotta be old enough to drive!"

"Why do you want to drive the ripper, anyway?" Dimentio asked, entering the kitchen. He began rummaging around in the refrigerator. "It's still broken from the Grand Dimensional Prix." Dimentio emerged from the refrigerator holding a sandwich. He took a large bite and swallowed. "I doubt that even our green friend could fix it."

"What couldn't I fix?" Mr L questioned. He put down the copy of _The Dimension Times_ he was reading.

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Dimentio chided. "The ripper, of course."

"No, I wasn't. Too busy reading about Doctor Fawful's work. The ripper? Sure I could. Why?"

"Mimi believes that she is old enough to drive the ripper," Count Bleck explained.

"Well, she is... hmm. How old is she?" Dimentio shrugged at Mr L's question. "And besides, can't she teleport? Why would you want to drive the ripper?"

"Because! It'll make me look cool! Didn't you ever want to be independent, even a bit?"

Mr L shook his head. "Not that way, no. But I get what you're saying." He turned to Count Bleck. "What if I fixed it up and took her out for a drive? If she's good enough, I'll tell you."

"Hmm, Count Bleck considered the matter with great deliberation. Very well, Mr L. If she can drive without wrecking the ripper, tell me. I will be more inclined to allow her a set of the keys."

Mr L saluted. "I'll get right on it. Dimentio," he yelled as he left, "don't throw away the paper! I mean it!"

* * *

Mr L was underneath the ripper, tightening the last few gears. The ripper, or dimensional ripping vehicle, was built for those souls who weren't able to teleport, so that they could move between dimensions with ease. Understandably, it was a complicated piece of machinery. Truth be told, Mr L was the best mechanic in the worlds. Dimensional machinery was second nature for him.

Mimi entered the garage. "Just a moment, Mimi," Mr L's muffled voice said. "I've gotta tighten the last two ripgears. And... there we go!" Mr L slid out from under the ripper. "She's all ready. Hop in while I put away the tools."

As Mimi jumped into the ripper, Mr L gathered up his wrenches and what-not. He made his way across the junk-strewn floor of the garage to the workbench.

_SNERKRASH!_ A wrench fell from Mr L's grasp and smashed his foot. Teeth gritted as he tried to grab his injured foot, Mr L turned to see what had happened. The ripper was crumpled up against a wall. Smoke poured from multiple places. Mimi was ten feet away, rubbing her head.

"MIMI!" Mr L hollered. "WHAT HAPPENED?"

"I don't know," she replied, somewhat dazed. "I got in, put my foot on the left lever, and then... that."

Mr L put his face in his hands. "That was the gas, Mimi. The ripper's speed has to be calibrated every time you start it up. If you don't, you'll end up in a wall. Don't you know that?"

"No! Nobody's ever taught me how to drive the ripper!" Mimi shouted. When the last word left her mouth, she fell to the floor and began to sob.

Mr L grimaced. He reached down and lifted Mimi to her feet. "I'm sorry, Mimi. I shouldn't have shouted. Forgive me?"

Mimi looked up at him, tears staining her face. She nodded.

"All right. Let's get it fixed up again, then I'll teach you. How does that sound? You'll be a menace on the dimensional lanes in no time." He grinned. Mimi slowly smiled.

"Thanks..."

"No problem."

A/N: So this has been in the works for a whole long time. I actually meant to finish up the main 100 prompts by March 18th, which was the 3rd anniversary of this story's publication. But life happens. Anyway, this story was originally (until today) about the Independence Day of the land O'Chunks is from. It wasn't working, so after research and thought, this was born.

Side Note: I really like the idea of a ripper. I also like the Australian slang term _ripper_. Also, announcement time. I know I've said that I'll continue writing on this story once the 100 prompts are done. That is true. But I've got other stuff I've gotta do: fanfictions begging to be written, school to be finished, work to do at the aquarium, a two-year hiatus in two-some-odd years. So, once I've finished these 100 prompts, updates will probably be even more sporadic. If you still want to hear from me frequently, I'd check out my other stories. Anyway, thanks for all your support!

Also, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE see my profile! I've got a poll up that affects how this story will go. I want to know what you all think.


	95. New Year

095: New Year

_Or, The Chapter In Which Various Select Characters Of The Super Paper Mario Universe Deliberate On Times Past, Present, And Future._

_Count Bleck_

I have never appreciated a New Year like the most recent one. I, Count Bleck, had the opportunity, once more, to spend it with my beloved Timpani, whom I had thought lost. I sincerely hope the future will be as joyous as the recent past has been. I also resolve to not open any small, black boxes this year.

_Nastasia_

Another year, another stack of paperwork to file away in the archives. I don't mind, of course; I would do anything to please the Count. It was a routine year; assignments were completed and completely botched, essays were written, and so on.

But, if I'm being completely honest with myself, and not hiding behind lies of normalcy, it was an incredible year. Through some means that I'm still not sure of, I managed to accept the Count's love of Tipp- I mean, Timpani- with no regret. I have a family. There's no place I'd rather be, and there's nowhere to go but up. On that note, this year, as with all other years, I will make sure that I serve faithfully.

_O'Chunks_

Ah'm nae much for this writing business. Ah suppose last year was good, and this year will be, too.

_Mario_

It's-a me, Mario! Haha, all joking aside, the years keep getting better. Peach is with me, little Timpani is growing, and Bowser's finally given up on kidnapping Peach every other day. Last time he did, Timpani poked him in the eye. I suppose I should resolve to keep her away from Sugar Shrooms...

I've had troubles, but nothing life-threatening. Here's to a new year!

_Luigi/Mr L_

Boy, that year went by fast! It seems like yesterday I was fighting with Dimentio over the TV cable. Heh, that was a hoot. It's been an awesome year. Between peace talks with Dimentio and taking Mimi out in the ripper, it was a year better than any. I'm so glad I have a place where I belong, where I can actually stand out and play a part. My time here, with Count Bleck, has been great. I'm looking forward this year. Maybe I'll actually find a wife... Hey, there's my resolution!

_Johnson_

I don't even know why I got asked to do this. I'm not the Shell Mariner, Koopa King, or anything. Though that Cragnon food _was_ good...

_Bowser_

GRAAAH! It was a terrible year! I, a burly King of Evil, got sick, and I got poked in the eye! By a two-year-old! How humiliating! Things had better get better... I'm done. Don't read this! Don't you understand the word 'PRIVATE!'

_Peach_

(Peach was unable to write her entry because, after Bowser wrote his, he went and kidnapped her.)

_Bonechill_

_I am still not speaking to the Shadow Queen. Ever since she spoiled the plan, I've ignored her. But... there is something about her. Something darkly alluring..._

_Ms Fynx is still as feisty as ever. She is a good teacher, though. I've learned to enjoy the learning I receive. The substitutes are not nearly so interesting. Or tasty, for that matter._

_Principal Shroom still rules with an iron fist. But I have a plan. I hope that old Wracktail is still around. If not, I'm doomed. I resolve to get out of here.  
_

_Mimi_

Oh, it was the best year ever! Mr L helped me learn to drive the ripper, I got to go to Sammer's Kingdom with Nassy, AND Phoenix Kight proved Dredgeworth innocent!

Also, I got- hey! Give that back! I'm not done yet, Dimmy!

_Dimentio_

I, unlike my saccharine companions, am not ready to declare this the 'best year ever.' What defines a wonderful year? I am uncertain. Is it when all your goals are accomplished? Do you find love? Do you survive and thrive like a creeping vine? No one has been able to give me a good definition.

New years have always resonated with me, no matter how much I try to not let them. I suppose I enjoy looking back at what I've done, and forward at what I plan to do. Yet, how much is too much? So many things have happened in my life, they seem to blur together. No matter what blurs, though, I cannot block the memories of Mereliah. She was too good to me. I repaid her kindness with evil. I am not prone to self-pity, but there are things that I wish I had not done. I wish I had never touched the book. I wish I had never authored the Dark Prognosticus. I wish I had stayed friends with Mimi, instead of drifting for a time...

How many years must pass before I feel whole? How long must I wait to find a purpose in life? Perhaps this new year will bring answers...

I believe I will try this 'resolution' tradition. This year, I will stay on good terms with Mr L and not shave his mustache, and I will not let the past rule my future.

Mereliah, if you are out there, please let me know...

A/N: So, yeah. Here's New Year. Can you tell that I enjoy writing for Dimentio more than any other character? Bonechill, though, is a close second, tied with Mr L, Mimi, and Nastasia. _Edit:_ Hey, it's chapter 95 ver 2.0! On the idea of Acro111, I went back and added resolutions to the more important characters, that actually were able to pull off having a resolution.

Hey, there's an important poll on my profile that pertains to this story! I really would like some feedback, so please check it out!


	96. Days

096: Days

_April 26_

Today was amazing! We got to go save a village from an army of mutant goombas. Of course, we couldn't have done it without Brobot. O'Chunks and Dimentio teamed up to take on a flying, magic-spewing goomba. Mimi decided to stay back at the Castle, but afterward whined about not being allowed to go. Dimentio corrected her, and they got in a fight. I escaped to the garage. Brobot needed a clean- and tune-up, after all!

_April 27_

Dimentio hid my alarm clock again. At least, I assume it was him. I woke up to him laughing and the words, "Your alarm clock has been stolen, like so many piles of rubies." I'm pretty sure O'Chunks wouldn't have done that. He would have just yelled, "HARBLE-DEH!" and smashed the clock. Now I've just gotta find it. I love that programmable clock! I have it set to play K.K. Slider. If it's in the recycling bin again...

_May 10_

What a whirlwind! We stopped some sociopathic mole from taking over the worlds, negotiated peace between the Scriven and the Guardi, _and_ I found my clock! It was stuck in a painting. I had to collect thirteen Stars to retrieve it, or else a bunch of bob-ombs would have destroyed it. Apparently bob-ombs don't like Slider's music! I don't know why. "Two Days Ago" is a great song.

_May 11_

I will never play _Dimensions and Dragons _with Dimentio EVER AGAIN! I'm pretty sure he makes up laws just to get me in trouble. My character was drinking a root beer and was strangled by a root beer vine! Those don't exist! I looked it up in the _Monster Manual_. I think I'll take up croquet. There's no root beer vines in THAT game.

_May 20_

Count Bleck canceled Mimi's InterNed Service Subscription again today. Apparently she read some story about Dimentio and began pestering him. Finally, he got so fed up that he teleported her to Dimension D. Boy, the Count was steamed about that! After talking to Mimi, the Count told her that he was _permanently _canceling her subscription. She was rather shaken, so she agreed.

_June 9_

YES YES YES! The new _Creature Crossing_ game is out! YEEEESSSS!

_June 12_

I've decided that I'm going to upload this journal to the computer. That way, Dimentio won't be able to get his hands on it. Though I do have to wonder why he keeps snickering whenever he sees me...

A/N: Haha! Another prompt down! After the next one (which I'm posting right after this one), I have THREE left to hit one hundred! My goal is to get that hundred before June 10th, because I'll be picking up the new _Animal Crossing _game that day. Anyway, if you haven't yet, _please_ vote in the poll I have on my profile, because it'll help me decide the canon of the story's end.


	97. Weeks

097: Weeks

"Mr Dimentio, you have three weeks to live."

This revelation from the doctor was shocking. It pierced Dimentio more than anything ever had. Three weeks to live? Impossible!

But the results didn't lie. He had gone in to the doctor to check on a bump he had on his right foot. The tests the doctor had performed had come back positive: Dimentio had dimensional cancer. Apparently, teleporting too much does that to you. Dimentio filed it away with those things he had learned but would never tell anyone.

But... maybe the time had come to tell those things. Dimentio would never admit it, but something had changed in him since the Chaos Heart. He was no longer searching for total dominion. He was searching for... something. Something elusive. Perhaps he wanted to help others. He did not know. Dimentio did know, however, that he did not want to go to the Underwhere without having done something that changed the world, for better or for worse.

With that in mind, Dimentio began to write. He wrote quickly, chronicling the ideas and lessons he had learned, fully realizing that, three years ago, he wouldn't be caught dead doing this. This time, though, some hidden need drove him. Dimentio didn't know it, but that need was the need to help others.

In four days, he had finished. He sent it in to Dimensional Publishers, the biggest publishing company in the worlds. A day later, _Lessons Learned By A Dimensional Master _was set free into the worlds. It became a bestseller. Overnight, Dimentio turned from freak to a confused genius.

A confused genius? The public called him genius. He, though, was confused. No one had ever liked his work. When all you know is destruction and hatred, construction and love come as a surprise.

Dimentio quickly got over the confusion, though. He gave seminars on curbing destructive impulses, talked at self-esteem conventions, and even helped Mr L fix Brobot.

Three weeks passed in a flash. Dimentio had quite lost track of time. By the end of another four weeks, he had built two home complexes for the homeless, financed six hospitals, and published another bestseller: _Taking Life By The Throat_. That was when he received a letter.

"Mr Dimentio. I am pleased to inform you that you will not die. The results were mixed up with another patient's. He has passed away. The bump was actually just from hitting a hard surface, most likely from sleepwalking. Sorry for the mix-up!"

Dimentio was stunned. He did not know what to think. It was like when he was told he had three weeks to live. The letter fell from his hands.

When they found him, it was too late.

* * *

Dimentio was eating cereal when he noticed Mimi staring at his foot. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Is that bump on your foot dimensional cancer?" Mimi blurted out.

"No. Why would you think that?"

Mimi turned back to her cereal, relieved that the story she had found on the InterNed was fiction.

A/N: Ah, the return of the InterNed Service! Fun fact: I wrote this entirely in my e-mail, and this is one of the prompts back around numbers 5-10 that I ditched. I feel I'll only be able to call it complete if I do all of the intended prompts. Also, remember the poll!


	98. Months

098: Months

_The days, they drift  
Past quickly.  
Until the very next thing you know,  
Months are gone._

_Months are funny things,  
You never realize they're there,  
Before they're not there anymore._

_Every month is different,  
For May it's Mimi's birthday.  
September is when Nastasia  
Was found by good Count Bleck.  
October has Halloween,  
Which O'Chunks rather hates._

_June has Mario's wedding day,  
And the whole Kingdom celebrates.  
In July Luigi wonders,  
Why Christmas is so brief._

_January remembers Bonechill  
And his brief excursion.  
February, Count Bleck laughs,  
Is when he met his Timpani._

_Jaydes fondly thinks of,  
The subtle month of April,  
For it was then she ate the first  
Cake Luvbi made for her._

_November dislikes Cragley,  
He torched arrangements floral.  
December is when Peach recalls  
Mario's proposal._

_But if you were to ask,  
The month Dimentio recalls,  
He would grow somewhat silent.  
Unknown to all but me,  
August is when he lost the world.  
He lost the Ancients, lost his mind,  
And he lost Mereliah._

_Yes, months are funny things,  
But lest we e'er forget,  
I've chronicled events in lives,  
The lives we love to know._

A/N: Well, two more prompts to go. To tell the truth, I'm somewhat apprehensive. What am I going to do without a deadline of one hundred looming over me? Ah well. I'm sure I'll find something.

So, months. Months are very interesting. I couldn't think of anything I really wanted to write for this, so I said, "Hey, it's time for some poetry!" That's actually not a direct quote. Anyway, thank you all for your support! Here's to two more prompts!


	99. Crossing

099: Crossing

The minions were stuck. The dust was blowing, the tumbleweeds were rolling, and Mimi was fuming. "Stupid track!" Yes. They were stuck at a railroad crossing.

The barricade was down, signaling that a train was coming. At least, it was supposed to be. No train had been past in three hours. Dimentio also suspected that it had been years since a train had come.

"This is ridiculous," Dimentio muttered. "Why we don't just duck under the barricade and be over with it, I don't know."

"You can't cross a railroad crossing when the barricade is down!" Mr L gasped. "It goes against all rules and safety measures! What if a train just happened to barrel down the track right as you were going across?"

"I would stop it... with magic!" Dimentio declared. "Besides, what if we sit here for the rest of our lives and become bleached bones, white like the inside of a jabberknowl's gizzard?"

"What's a jabberknowl?" Mimi asked at the exact moment O'Chunks exclaimed, "How did ye get eaten by one an' survive?"

Dimentio shuddered. "Do not make me recall that. Please."

Nastasia was tired of standing there and listening to the arguing. "How about we just go around, 'K?"

Mr L and Dimentio stopped. Mr L glanced around the crossing. "Well. How about that. We can cross where there's no barricade!" He, Mimi, O'Chunks, and Nastasia all crossed the railroad.

Dimentio simply shook his head, disgusted that he had overlooked such a thing.

A/N: Heh heh. Well, Animal Crossing: New Leaf took over my life. Also, I got sick and had busy days. Oh well!


	100. The End

100: The End

Well, we made it! Here's the final chapter! ...What are we gonna do for it?

_How about we do a wonderful, beautiful thing? It would be amazing!_

**Ah, none o' tha' frilly nonsense, if ye'd be so kind.**

Um, so yeah, our production budget is rather slim. We can't do something like Mimi suggested, 'K.

Well, we have to do something. What do the rest of you think?

_Oooh! How about an action flick about Brobot fighting super zombies?_

Uh... no. Nastasia already said we can't afford a frilly production. I don't doubt that an action flick like that is far out of budget, too.

**Count Bleck believes a tragic romantic drama would be the best thing to do. Not only that, it would be in the budget, Count Bleck declared triumphantly.**

Well, Count, you already had your tragic romantic drama with _Super Paper Mario._ I don't think we need another one.

**Ah, yes.**

Dimentio, you haven't suggested anything. What do you think?

_**Hmm? I have no suggestions. Except... no. It is your story.**_

Come on, Dimentio. You have an idea, and you're welcome to share it.

_**...Very well. Was not my search for Mereliah a rather important arc? It did come to an end, you know. A resolution that you might not expect.**_

You mean it extended past the Shaded Realms? I did not know this.

_**The Shaded Realms was not the ending. It was the beginning of my loss of hope.**_

Well, I like the idea.

**Count Bleck seconds the notion.**

_Well, okay. If Brobot can't be in it, I guess this would be cool._

**As long as there's no frilly nonsense, I dinnae see a problem.**

It is in the production budget, as long as Dimentio tells it himself. We cannot afford another narrator.

_Well... okey-dokey! I like it! _

Dimentio? Could you narrate it?

_**I suppose. Do not expect much. Expect about as much as the portion of pie you get on Thanksgiving while sitting next to O'Chunks. It was a while ago...**_

* * *

I've always thought Christmas to be a sickeningly sweet holiday. Drenched in saccharine and coated in pure sugar, I never have been able to stand the holiday. Whenever it has rolled around, I would leave and search the dimensions in a vain hope. A vain hope that somewhere, somehow, I would find Mereliah. A vain hope that was always thrashed and shattered like the fragile snowflakes native to the winter season.

Yet that Christmas was different. I had fallen into a slump. That year had been the strangest I had ever experienced. Thanksgiving was a revelation, but that revelation was all but forgotten. Since the Shaded Realms, I had alternated between bouts of realization and episodes of denial. This slump, though... it seemed permanent. I had finally, irrevocably, internalized that Mereliah was gone. I saw no reason to go out that Christmas.

Two days in, I began to regret that decision. O'Chunks was always trying to get me to eat his strange homeland traditional foods, Mr L was decking Brobot with tinsel and garland, and Mimi was constantly attempting to get me under the mistletoe. I was not quite sure why, but it seemed like in the few days since Thanksgiving, Mimi had decided she had a crush on me. I was not ready to bounce back from Mereliah quite _that _quickly, and not with Mimi, either.

Nevertheless, I could not go back on my decision to stay in that Christmas. I spent much of the time in my room, writing poems and lovelorn sonnets. Four days before Christmas, I grudgingly left my room to partake in the festivities and to purchase gifts for the others. O'Chunks received a meat grinder, so he would not need to use his hands. For Nastasia I purchased a ten year journal bound in Muth leather, as I knew her current journal was going to run out. Mr L got a customization kit for Brobot, and Count Bleck's gift was a new cape (to replace the one I had turned brown). To Mimi I gave a small dimensional box that she could easily use. Tippi didn't really want anything, but I got her an ornament for the Christmas tree that looked like whatever the viewer wanted the most.

Much to my surprise, I enjoyed giving gifts and receiving them. Christmas morning was magnificent. A box of chocolates from Mr L, a book of poetry from O'Chunks, a desk calendar from Nastasia (with comics on each day), a framed picture of herself from Mimi, an engraved stone with my name and a personalized message from Count Bleck ('Be Yourself,' whatever that means), and a new pair of gloves from Tippi.

Christmas night the slump returned. I had temporarily forgotten my plight and Mereliah, but when I remembered I felt like a fool and a cur. What sort of person forgets their love?

I had retreated to the foyer with my new book of poetry, seeking calm and quiet to read and contemplate. Perhaps I sought solace in the poetry, as it was very reminiscent of my own condition. Regardless of the reasons, I was in the foyer, back against a wall, sitting on the floor, when there was a knock on the door.

How strange it was. We never received visitors unless we were aware of them first. I put my book under my arm, levered myself up off the floor, and went to the door. Upon opening it, I found a hooded being, shaking from the cold, teeth chattering so hard I could hear them. Without a second thought, I exited the castle and helped the being into the warmth of the foyer. Kicking the door closed, I supported the being to the kitchen, where I sat them in a chair by the fire. Grabbing a mug and some chocolate, I filled the mug with milk, put the chocolate in, then magicked some fire from some far-off dimension to heat the mixture instantaneously. This I gave to the being.

"Thank you," the being mumbled, lips half-frozen and completely numb.

"Do not mention it," I replied. I was struck with the strangeness of my behavior. Just two months ago I would have turned the stranger away, and now here I was, helping the stranger in and fixing them hot chocolate. Wondering where this newfound side of me had come from, I fixed myself a mug of hot chocolate and sipped it. I pondered as I sipped.

I wondered who this being was. I thought about why I had shown such kindness and hospitality, considering my own experiences. Glancing over the robe the being wore, I remembered Thyl and how he had shown me such kindness, yet for a price. Maybe I wanted to be more than just someone who would help for money. I could not figure it out.

The stranger coughed. My attention immediately returned to the present. "Are you all right?" I asked. I was surprised by the concern in my voice. But with that concern was a different warmth, more internal than that of the fire.

"I am, thanks to you," the stranger said, their voice stronger than it had been. I also noticed it was very feminine and, if possible, familiar. "You've changed."

I was somewhat put off by that. "Do I know you?"

Slightly pruned hands emerged from the sleeves of the robe and pulled the hood back. A face looked at me. This face was one I had not seen in ages upon ages. A little more drawn and faded than when I had last seen it, but still a familiar face. One that haunted my dreams and waking hours for millennia. Mereliah.

"I thought..." I croaked.

"As did I," Mereliah replied, a small smile spreading across her face. I still thought her beautiful beyond measure, even with the aging of her features.

"I searched for you, but I could not find you," I said. "I thought you had died..."

"I did the same," Mereliah admitted. "After I left our land, I realized my mistake. Even with your transformation, I still loved you. So I returned to our land, but they said you had vanished. I began to search, but I never could find you. I lost hope, but still I wandered, until I came upon this dimension and found you..."

We were silent for a moment. All sorts of thoughts raced through my head. What could I think? There were no words to describe my feelings. The girl I had longed to find, searched for through the ages, had stumbled upon my doorstep. If I had left the castle to go searching, perhaps I would never have found her. One look at Mereliah showed that she felt the same.

There was one thought, though, that was clear. I glanced up and smiled. Taking Mereliah's hands, I gestured to the ceiling. Mereliah saw what I was pointing at and her smile grew. We leaned closer, like two trees magnetically attracted... Oh, what's the use? No simile can describe love accurately.

I dimly heard Mimi grumbling to herself. "All season long I've been pretty for him, and now he's with some random stranger! Boys are weird and stupid. I quit!"

As she stalked off, Mereliah and I pulled apart. I knew there was a smile, goofy in the way that love makes you, plastered on my face. I could feel it, and Mereliah was laughing lightly.

Yes, love is strange. Love leads you all over the dimensions in desperate games of wild goose chase. Love takes your senses and throws them right out the window, demanding that you kiss the girl right away or she might disappear. But it works miracles, too. It brings your loved one stumbling to your doorstep. It lets you pick up your relationship where you left off, and sort out questions later.

More importantly, however, is this: Love is forgiving. Mereliah had forgiven me long ago, and finally, after so many years, I was able to forgive myself and throw off the rest of the insanity that had crippled me. Finally, I could be myself once more.

* * *

**So beautiful! *Sniff***

**Count Bleck needs a tissue.**

_Brobot was in it! But really, that was fantastic. That's one story that didn't need Brobot for it to be good._

_Waahaaahaaa! *Sobs* I remember that. I was so happy for you, Dimmy! Then I met a good boy, too, so it was all fine and good..._

I'm happy to say that we stayed in the budget, and provided a heart-rending story at the same time. Dimentio... wonderful.

I must agree with everyone, Dimentio. That was a fine story, and a fitting end to our festival of story-telling. I do think it was interesting that Mimi swore off boys forever, then found one...

_I was going to be an old spinster, I'll have you know! I'd also have lots of cats._

I understand that.

_**Thank you all. It was a relief to tell it, as I was the only one to know all, besides Mereliah. **_

_**Were you telling our story, dear?**_

_**Yes. It went very well. **_

_What? Mereliah still lives at the castle with us?!_

**Yes, Mr L. I would think you'd remember her eating dinner with us every night.**

_Oh, yeah. Forgot that, sorry._

Hey, before you all go off on tangents, let's finish this up, all right?

**Yer right, of course. Thanks for reading!**

**I wish to thank you all for following this story, Count Bleck says.**

_I do, too! I also want to thank everyone for loving Brobot and the crazy adventures we've had!_

_THANK YOU! YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL!_

Yeah, so you did not need to shout, Mimi. I think my hearing is damaged, now. But I want to thank the readers for joining us and respecting our innermost thoughts.

_**I suppose I must follow the example of the others. I, too, wish to thank you for tolerating the strange and mysterious happenings we partake in, and for listening with sympathy to my tales of loneliness.**_

_**I did not show up until this final story, but I'm so thankful that you all stayed with this story, despite how long it took to tell. I'm also grateful that you supported Dimentio, and through him, me.**_

Yes, thank you all. I could not have done it without all you readers. With your help and support, I've achieved something that very few authors can say they've done. I would like to thank these people: Mowo64, my first reviewer; wintermoon13; Jake Silvers; icefox425; Acro111; Duwee Davis II; rosiekatriona; C.A.H.L.Y; Riku Javert; Teengamer; ThatNintendoFangirl; Ittybit; Orca112; Elemental Queen; TwilightShadowMistress; AlwaysNinja; Luigisgirlfriend; AgentOfRedAndBlue; DukeBrymin; Jones Tereka Seasight; Eon of rest; rene10; GirlNamedFede; Wafflegirl0304; Dimentio's Epic Girlfriend; Random Dawn 14; The Chortling Mermaid; lizzy; rarmaster; StrikerDaisy; tntproductions; WritingMagic; and all the guests.

_**We would also like to thank The Great Allie.**_

I was going to say that, Dimentio. Yes, thank you to The Great Allie, whom I greatly admire as an author of Mario fanfiction. It is her universe of The Count's World that my stories here take place in, and though she has said not to worry about asking, I will still _thank_ her for allowing me to use her world. So, thank you The Great Allie! Thank you everyone! I hope you have great times ahead of you all! For now, I'll say good-bye, farewell, adios, dasvidanya, and all those other words that mean, "Good-bye, until we meet again."

* * *

Guide to Dialogue  
Italics: Mimi  
Bold: O'Chunks  
Underline: Nastasia  
Bold Underline: Count Bleck  
Italic Underline: Mr L  
Bold Italics: Dimentio  
Bold Italic Underline: Mereliah  
Normal, Unformatted: Galadriadhar


End file.
